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This is the Time to Grieve Our Losses
As a christian writer, the temptation when disaster hits, is to get to the illustration. I want to be able to write not only “hard and clear about what hurts” as Hemingway so powerfully suggests, but I also want to write about the redemption of that hurt. I want to be able to write the […]
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Sacrifice in a Strange New Land – Guest Post by Karen Costa
We all may consider that we know what it is to sacrifice something of worth. Those of us with children and vulnerable family members make sacrifices each day, including sacrificing sleep and giving up time to ourselves to meet their care needs. During Lent we may decide to sacrifice our love of chocolate or crisps, […]
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Baby Change, by Anne Calver – Review
Usually these days I find myself reading books in fits and starts, frequently having to re-read the pages as I’m snatching moments when my own baby (well – racing toddler is more apt) is asleep. As it happens however, I read this in just over a day as I was stuck in bed unwell and […]
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At Least
There are many ‘at least(s)’ flying around. ‘At least you don’t live alone’ ‘At least you don’t have a pre-existing condition’ ‘At least you still get paid’ Of course, all these may be true. Some of us are more privileged than others, that can be recognised without minimising struggle. Because whether you’re self-isolating, social distancing, […]
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Words for Worrying Times
In the uncertainty and fear, The panic and the path ahead unclear. Breathe in for seven, Breathe out for eleven. It’s okay to be unsure and frightened. And yet. Philippians 4.6 used to be my least favourite verse, it felt patronising, heaped shame upon pain. But then I learned that anxiety isn’t a sin, it’s […]
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Ash Wednesday Reflections: Rend Your Heart
It’s one of those phrases that I’ve heard countless times – usually around this time of year – “rend your heart”. But what does that really mean to rend your heart? The word rend literally means to “tear something into pieces”, to “separate into parts with violence”. This is not gently pulling away from something […]
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Holding Out Hope
Whether or not you’ve ever watched anything that the late Caroline Flack presented, it’s unlikely that you won’t have heard that over the weekend, Caroline died by suicide. News of her death has filled column inches, clickbait articles and provoked debate around everything from the existence of shows such as “Love Island”, to press intrusion, […]
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Breaking the Mould by Jules Middleton: Book Review
As someone still early on in the journey of motherhood and my own multi-hyphenated job title, I was intrigued to read Jules Middleton’s reflections on life as a “ministry mum” ordained with the Church of England and leading a church on the south coast. “Breaking the Mould” is part memoir, part navigation guide for the […]
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Cold Cups of Tea and Hiding in the Loo – An Honest Conversation About Motherhood
Before you become a Mum, you’re told lots of things: “Don’t rock the baby to sleep – it’s a rod for your own back” “Never let your baby use a dummy” “Breastfeeding is the most natural thing ever – it’s a breeze!” “You’ll never sleep again” But no matter how much advice (helpful or otherwise), […]
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Advent Reflections – Birthing
I’ve never told my birth story publicly. It was far from the candle filled water birth I’d imagined – in fact it was the total opposite of what I’d hoped. Three types of induction, hooked up to monitors, pethidine and an epidural before my newborn was whisked away for observations and antibiotics. Within hours, I […]
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Rachael Newham 