Reflections

The matter of an infected Scottish marriage and its consequences

I wrote this post several years ago, but it remains a favourite of mine, mainly because the idea of mary Queen of Scots and John Knox working together as marriage counsellors is so…wow? Impossible? So, I give you Mary and John and their efforts to save a failing marriage! These days, we tend to have …

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With me or against me? How I became my own greatest enemy

Five years ago, I was given an ultimatum by a doctor: lose weight or we’ll not be able to do surgery on your back. And without surgery, you’re going to be in excruciating pain for the rest of your life, your mobility severely restricted. Huh. That didn’t sound much fun. I mean, I liked to …

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I do, I do – until I don’t.

This year, hubby and I will be celebrating thirty-five years of marriage. OMG!!! I’ve been married to the same guy for almost as long as my PT has been on this earth.  Given that close to 50% of all marriages end in divorce, hubby and I deserve a badge of some sort. I did a …

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Lost and Found – a reflection on friendship

Our lives are defined by relationships: parents, siblings, spouses/partners, children – they all affect who we are and how we evolve. As do friends. My BFF once gave me a magnet which says “Friends are the family we choose ourselves”, and while I am (mostly) quite happy with the family I have, she does have …

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Why it is important to choose your dining companions with care

My sister shared an interesting little story with me about a well-travelled man who decided to drop in on a tribe of cannibals – not my first choice of people I’d like to have dinner with, let me tell you. Apparently, the first major hurdle in getting to Cannibal Land was to find someone to …

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Ring out the old, ring in the new – YES PLEASE!!!!

New Year’s Eve is a date imbued with hope. It is also host to a variety of traditions, all of them meant to ensure a happy future—or at least give us a glimpse of what is to come. Eating twelve grapes at midnight is one of those “let us hope things go well next year” …

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The bride wore white for the first time ever. Meet a15th century trendsetter

Quite some time ago, I wrote about Margareta of Denmark, a rather impressive woman who ended up as the de facto ruler of Sweden, Denmark and Norway. When Margareta died in 1412, her adopted son Erik of Pommerania took over the reins of government, and I suspect this thirty-year-old man was more than thrilled to be …

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When my imaginary taskmasker wields the whip – a post about inspiration and discipline

“No inspiration,” I sometimes sigh, while staring at the screen which remains enervatingly blank. And yes, inspiration is a must when it comes to writing—if nothing else as the igniting spark—but there’s another component which is just as important: discipline. “Of course,” my very own muse, Ms Inspiration says. For the day, she’s wearing a …

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Schools, songs and epidemics – a mental ramble

In 1842, Sweden implemented seven years of mandatory schooling for all children, no matter social background. Prior to that, a relatively large percentage of the Swedish population was analphabetic, this despite the fact that the Lutheran religion advocated that people knew how to read and write so as to properly study and appreciate the word …

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