I left school at 18 with one A-level, good typing and shorthand speeds, and few ambitions beyond earning a decent salary. Two years earlier, my dad had suffered a stroke that left him partly paralysed and unable to return to his managerial job. All I could think about was financial independence. I knew I couldn’t rely on my parents to support me in that way. I’d worked hard for my … [Read more...] about Dear Alan, you changed my life. I hope I can be the Alan in someone else’s life
gratitude
Dear Mum, here’s my final gift of gratitude
My remarkable mother Lucille passed away on 10th September, on the morning of her 71st wedding anniversary. I'd like to think she chose to go on that date, and that she is now dancing with my dad again. She was 93. Her ending was pain-free - drifting in a morphine dream - and she died, quite simply, of old age. After a life well lived, it was about a good a death as it gets, and I'm so … [Read more...] about Dear Mum, here’s my final gift of gratitude
The story of everyday joy
Many of us reserve joy for special occasions. We leave it in the back of the wardrobe, zipped up in a protective bag, and bring it out only when we have been given an excuse to wear it. Surely joy shouldn’t be something we set aside for births, weddings and parties? Let joy be unconfined! Let it be a frequent occurrence, and let us find it in the most mundane of events and experiences. I’m … [Read more...] about The story of everyday joy
Why I make the most of every day
Three years ago today, I lost one of my best friends to cancer. We had known each other for more than 25 years and shared many adventures together. We supported each other when we were down and applauded each other when we were up. She died a week before her 52nd birthday. A year later, when I was 53, I got married for the first time - on what would have been her 53rd birthday. At the reception, … [Read more...] about Why I make the most of every day
Put pen to paper and say “I love you”…
Letter-writing seems to be a dying art. We’ve all developed more instant ways of communicating - but they are all far less considered, less formal and less enduring. When it comes to making a statement, nothing can replace pen and paper. This holds particularly true when you want to say something meaningful. A couple of months back I wrote a post about writing a letter to my future self. … [Read more...] about Put pen to paper and say “I love you”…
“Turn your wounds into wisdom…”
This is a well-known quote from Oprah Winfrey. Her words resonated for me because they seemed so appropriate to The Pearl Within - the idea that difficult experiences in your life can be transformed into wisdom, like the oyster that wraps a painful intruder in layers of lustre. It took some research, however, to find out when she said “turn your wounds into wisdom”. In fact, it was … [Read more...] about “Turn your wounds into wisdom…”