THIS YEAR HAS ALMOST GONE… Not everyone made it through. Not everyone survived and not everyone is facing Christmas with a festive heart. Some tables are set with one place missing. And that hurts like hell. But life goes on. We all must go on. What choice do we have? And if we can take…
You Can’t Dance In The Rain If You Are Drowning… ‘Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.’ So they say. But what if the storms have been coming down so hard, for so long that you’re sinking like a rock in a pond? What then?…
Don’t Let Thoughts Of Monday Steal Your Sunday Don’t let worries for tomorrow, steal today. Worrying is a waste of a good imagination. What happens will happen anyway. You see my friend, if we could forget what has gone before and go forth without fear of failure, without memories of rejection and without care for…
This Is Your Sunday Evening Reminder… That people can be cruel and selfish sometimes, but that doesn’t mean you have to be. Don’t sink to their level, keep rising in this life, you’re aiming much higher than they are. Don’t look down. That life is a rollercoaster for everyone, not just you. Some chapters are…
Today I asked my body what she needed, Which is a big deal Considering my journey of Not Really Asking That Much. I thought she might need more water. Or protein. Or greens. Or yoga. Or supplements. Or movement. But as I stood in the shower Reflecting on her stretch marks, Her roundness where I…
One day she woke up different. She woke up with a purpose that didn’t depend on pleasing other people. She woke up with a burning desire to strip back her life of anything that didn’t bring her joy. She was done with comparison. She was over perfection. She realised that anything which cost her her…
And it will hurt like hell…. You’re going to lose people along the way People you thought you’d never lose. People you truly believed would always be there. And it’s going to hurt like hell. But that, my friend, is life People change, relationships change. Some evolve. Some disintegrate. Some people leave through no will…
To the woman who has lost her spark. To the woman whose get up and go, has well and truly gone. This is for you. This is to remind you whose daughter you are. This is to remind you, that you don’t have to be everything to everyone, every day. You didn’t sign up for…
I’M NOT PERFECT God only knows that is true. I say the wrong things, often. I make the wrong choices, daily. I overlook life’s important things sometimes and become bogged down in the shallow end. I occasionally judge others with the harshness I view myself. And that is wrong. I am most definitely not perfect.…
IT’S TIME TO STOP SURVIVING It’s time to start living. Survival mode was something you fell into, to get through that phase of your life. Remember? It wasn’t supposed to be forever. You weren’t supposed to carry on surviving. You were supposed to come out the other end, a survivor, victorious and start living…
Today, remember that the bad times, are part of your journey too. They are part of your story. So own them – never let them own you. These challenges that you face? You are supposed to be facing them. You are supposed to come out victorious. This is just another chapter in your book. Never…
If you are about to give up To give in To throw in the towel To break down To let go of that dream… Remember one thing, you were born for this. You were born to kick ass and show the world what you are made of. And you’ve been through worse. Much worse, right?…
When you’ve shouted at the kids and tears have been shed. When you’ve stumbled through homework and a dinner that was both beige and bland. When you’ve forgotten the games kit and the project is late. When you feel that you are failing consistently and dropping more plates than you can spin. When everyone else…
This Letter Is To You. The you who has had, just about enough. The you who feels like everything is hopeless. The you who feels she has lost her way, her faith. The you who feels the happy times in life are for others, not you. The you who believes nothing good will come. The…
When you have a list to complete as long as your arm but you call your Mum or Dad, simply because you know the sound of your voice brings them untold joy…. These are the moments that matter, my friend. They won’t always be there to answer. ∼ When you really should have left the…
To My Second Child… There are nowhere near as many photographs of your first few years, I know. You wear hand-me-downs, play with second hand toys and your ‘firsts’ are not quite as celebrated as perhaps they should be. But, if you ever, ever feel that you are second best, let me tell you how…
I GO THERE TOO… When all goes dark and the spiral engulfs you. When connections are lost and loneliness possesses you. When the faith leaves you and helplessness thrives from you. When strength becomes weak and nothing nourishes you. When love becomes untrue and abandonment becomes a part of you. When all hope of change…
Ageing isn’t about lost youth It’s about finding… Who your true friends really are. The difference between shiny and worthy. The confidence to be yourself in any room. The time to dedicate to the things that bring you joy. The wisdom to say no to the things that don’t. The freedom to choose your own…
’Tis a fearful thing to love what death can touch. A fearful thing to love, to hope, to dream, to be – to be, And oh, to lose. A thing for fools, this, And a holy thing, a holy thing to love. For your life has lived in me, your laugh once lifted me, your…
And this is why. You see, I can’t stop thinking about how this scenario could have played out, had the cameras missed the ‘incident’. I have no doubt whatsoever that you would have successfully convinced everyone that, for no reason, Ryan approached you and punched you 5 times in the ribs, with malice, with intent…
Don’t ask me how old I am….that’s not my age. Ask me how many sunsets I have seen, how many sunrises I have waited up for; to signal new start… Ask me how many times I have moved on, let go. Again. Ask me how many battles I have fought, how many times my heart…
There will be some very painful moments in your life, my friend. There will be moments, days even, when the sun doesn’t seem to rise in your world and the breath feels sucked right out of your lungs. When food has no taste, the world has no joy and everything seems like an effort too…
Things I Wanted To Say But Never Did… Went in a sad little box in my mind, alongside the things I wanted to do but never did. They nestled there beside the opportunities I missed through fear and insecurity. Places I didn’t go to when I had the chance. People I didn’t dare to meet.…
Maybe this journey is not about ‘becoming’ yourself. Maybe it’s actually about ‘unbecoming’ everything the world made you into. Stripping off the layers you added one by one over the years to protect yourself, to hide the real you. The flaws, the quirks. The differences that made you stand out. Chipping away at the shame…
There will never be a day you don’t miss her. Never a day, where you don’t wish you could hear her voice or ask for her advice just one more time. There will never be a moment that you don’t regret all the times you screened her call, or missed a visit, simply because life…
To The Girl In The Mirror I left you. A long time ago. I was ashamed of you and your rough edges, your imperfections, your weaknesses. So I moved on without you and became someone who fit in more easily. Every now and then I caught a glimpse of you and it took me by…
Don’t be offended Be curious That other minds work so differently to yours Don’t be offended Be awakened To a way of life you know nothing about Don’t be offended Be sad That others carry so much hate. That shit is heavy Don’t be offended Get on with your day You have bigger things to…
This is your Sunday reminder… That just because something has held you back in the past, doesn’t mean it has to forever. You are in control – if you look closely you will see it was you all along. That wonderful things can happen at any moment, be ready, always be ready. Some people might…
You Started With A Blank Canvas Beautiful, unspoiled – that much is true. Then life began to mould you, shape you, draw its art upon your skin. Stretch marks, freckles, sun-spots, wrinkles, laughter lines and frown lines… And every time something new appeared upon you, you mourned the loss of the smooth, unspoiled and innocent.…
The telephone rang. It was a call from his mother. He answered it and his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days. “Jack, did you hear me?” “Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard…
Let me take the photograph It’s annoying, I know. It interrupts the flow. It may seem trivial in the moment, or even vain… But one day someone will be glad that moment was captured. Those faces, in that place. This moment in time. Let me take the picture my friends… because this little snapshot will…
If you are not distracted every now and again, by the colours in the sky, or the spots on a ladybug, or the sound of the sea – you need to plug yourself in my friend Plug yourself in to the earth on which you live. Like a laptop that’s stuck, switch off and on…
For all the parents who are out there living, walking, eating, even laughing sometimes, yet feeling as though they are empty on the inside. This is for you. Losing a child is like losing your life and yet you are still here. Still breathing, still paying bills, still talking about the weather. Still loving…
A loving father’s words on his daughter’s wedding day… ‘If you ever stop loving my daughter… Don’t punish her, don’t stray away, don’t stay for the sake of it without affection or friendship. You see, I loved her first and I will love her, always. More than I ever thought possible for one person to…
Then I Pray That You Are Living Your Life To The Full, my Friend. The way I see it, there are 3 groups of people on this planet… …Those who want to stay alive – who really want to live, but who are fighting a losing battle against a disease or a situation they cannot…
“Dear Stranger, You don’t know me but I hear you are going through a tough time, and I would like to help you. I want to be open and honest with you, and let you know that happiness isn’t something just afforded to a special few. It can be yours, if you take the…
Psychologists have proven that the physical act of walking through a doorway is the reason why you sometimes enter a room and completely forget what you were doing. It happens a lot, does it not? You see, going through a door signifies the beginning or end of something, so it creates an ‘event boundary’ within…
I do not care what nationality you are, what colour your skin is, where you grew up, which political party you support, which religion you follow… If you are putting a child in a cage or separating them from their loving parents, you are without morals, compassion or humanity. If you are witnessing this happening…
Today, I got myself thinking – what is it that makes a good Dad? And it occurred to me that, as women, we make choices based completely on the role model we grew up with… Sometimes the role model was a warning – a harsh lesson on what not to repeat – on what never…
To All The Missing Dads on Father’s Day To those who didn’t show up at all, who left a hole that can never quite be filled. You are still missed, still loved, despite everything. Your child will never stop feeling that separation. To those who showed up and gave everything but were taken away far…
One Day… An army of furious older women will take over the world. And I want to be there at the front. Because one day, every woman wakes up and realises, that quite frankly, they put themselves through hell. Trying to fit in, trying to be enough, to be attractive, to be acceptable, to be…
Let Yourself Off The Hook, My Friend… Put down that load, before it breaks your spirit. If you physically carried all that crap around with you, it would break your back eventually. Would it not? So why do you carry it all inside of you? Put it down. Leave it there. Walk away. Don’t look…
1. Half the world is starving through no choice of their own, the other half is trying to lose weight. 2. 152,000 people died today, you weren’t one of them. That should be your waking gratitude, every day. 3. 15 million people were told they had cancer last year. Only 7 million are still lucky…
I want to retreat. I want to hide. If I could disappear completely, until the feelings pass, I would. And if you ask me if I am okay I will say fine, every time. You see, I don’t want your help, because I don’t feel like anyone can help me. I don’t feel like I…
Like you’ve no worries in the world. Remember how that felt? The delicious ice-creams, the sand between your toes, the sun on your skin. The sounds of laughter, of the sea. The pretty colours, the beautiful clothes. The freedom of the long days and the balmy nights. The freedom of your own self, from the…
If all you did today was hold yourself together, I am proud of you, my friend. If all you did today was breathe in and out and silently battle with the negative voice inside your head, then you should be proud of you too. If all you did today was to hold on by the…
Do you ever have one of those days when your heart just f**king hurts? When someone’s story of grief and loss gets you right in the gut and knocks the breath clean out of your lungs. When all you want to do is go round up your loved ones and hold them tight. Today is…
There Are Some Things Every Girl Needs To Know… Every girl needs to know that relationships are important but none quite so much as the one you have with yourself, make it strong one. You will never spend that much time with another. Every girl needs to know that love is not supposed to hurt;…
Life doesn’t begin at 40…or at the end of your comfort zone. Life begins the day you decide that it does. The day you realise, that each day you awake, is truly a gift and how so few people are blessed with that gift, like you are right now. How many others did not wake…
I hope they will remember that Mummy tried… Like, really tried. I woke up every day with the will and the determination to be THE BEST MUM EVER. I really did. Some days I got there…often in fact…there were cakes baked, models built, lots of giggles had and everything was remembered and ticked off. Some…
Did you ever stop to think about the term ‘spinster’ and how it has come to be used in a very derogatory way; to describe a woman who lives alone and never married? Well…here is how that came about: Wool happened to be a massive European industry during the Middle Ages. A lot of the…
Ask anyone who has ever lost someone they love and they will tell you… Quite frankly… That perfection and happiness are world’s apart. They are not connected, at all. That a moment spent with someone you love, no matter how imperfect, no matter how messy or ugly or awkward the circumstances – is worth a…
Hey, you… Are you really being you? I mean REALLY being REALLY you? Or are you maybe, just maybe, an edited version of you. The you that world looks more favourably upon… Like a filtered version of you. Because you know something, being yourself in a world that requires, no DEMANDS, perfection and compromise –…
Look behind the Instagram and Facebook pictures, depicting a perfect, sunny, happy life and SEE the set-up that went in. The fakery, the ‘production’. See it, think about it. Know that it’s the moments you are NOT seeing on social media which are actually the moments worth living for. For the truly beautiful moments, happen…
You pity me for my many years, you think that I am old. I am not. I am full. I am full to the brim with so many memories, my head can hardly keep them all in. So many lessons, I have not the time in a day to teach them all. So many stories,…
Say it again and again until it echoes… ’I can.’ Make it the sound you hear when you open your eyes to wake and the sound you drift away to, when you close your eyes to sleep… ‘I am enough today. Right now, I am enough.’ Say it over and over again until it becomes…
To My Friend, I can’t promise you, that I will always know the right words to say…but I can promise that I will always want to find those words. I can’t promise you, that I will always do exactly the right thing to help you through…but I know that I will try. Every time I…
Last week was Mental Health Awareness Week, which is why I am posting about it THIS week… You see, Mental Health awareness needs to be spread EVERY SINGLE DAY. Because NOTHING and I mean NOTHING is more important than keeping your mental health in balance. It is not something that HAPPENS to other people. It…
And finally…I promise this time. LOVE It’s the one (good thing) in this life that we just cannot control. It chooses who it likes. It does not discriminate. Unlike the more darker powers of a similar nature; death, illness and depression, to name a few; love is a mystery as beautiful as it is complicated.…
Doria Ragland sat alone at The Royal Wedding because that’s just what single parents do. And if you walk into any school concert hall, church ceremony, parents evening or graduation across the land, you will find many just like her. Holding it together. Alone. Not because she was always that strong but because she learned…