Open their hearts and minds. The answer to the problem will be there — Yesterday I read this moving story by Anne Bonfert. As a young woman she went to live and teach, voluntarily, in Ghana, a country that is rich in natural resources. “Timber, gold, diamonds, bauxite, manganese, and oil contribute to making Ghana among the wealthier nations in West Africa.” Still many…

Pretty on the outside…venomous when she deemed it necessary — Theresa was actually my mother’s cousin, but she was only a year or so older than me. She was the sixth child in a family of seven, with a five-year gap between sister number five and her. So imagine that. A family of five becomes a family of six after…

And we’d have wanted her to sing, if only she had been nicer… — My friend Jenny and I met through a mutual friend. She is English and I am a Scot. We are both teachers, each arriving in Adelaide at roughly the same time. At a barbecue we were introduced to each other and we ended up sharing a house. We both had…

Waiting for the optimal moment to ask for help…a loaf of bread, a glass of wine…and then he very begrudgingly agreed. — “So could you possibly take a day off?” I asked. “It’s the first thing a buyer sees.” “Look I don’t know,” he answered. “ It’s really not our problem. She doesn’t think it’s an issue, so...” “But she is a friend…” I’m a pushover after a glass of wine. …

Janin Lyndovsky is a Medium writer to look out for. — I came across Janin the other day. Actually, she left a delightful comment on my Brandon story, and I just had to check her out. Janin Lyndovsky is Polish. She grew up in a communistic country. She was persecuted in high school, mostly because she would not toe the party…

Especially when your weight refuses to shift no matter what… — Quite recently this story was posted on Medium. The story refutes the benefits of the ketogenic diet , suggesting that it is really complicated so that people don’t know where to start. The writer also says, “The first problem with diets is that they’re a short-term solution.” And yet, a…

My dad read widely, was a font of knowledge, yet we viewed his pronunciation of this term as too funny for words. The arrogance of youth. I look back with shame. — Dad was terrific where homework was concerned. My mother was the best help with things arithmetical, but my father was always able to help us see deeper meaning in the written word. He read the classics, Animal Farm being one that he once used to help me in my homework…

is to convince the world how fabulously perfect and capable she is. Now stand back and watch the magic unfold. — How wonderful to be told your baby is perfect in every way! It’s all any parent wants to hear. But it doesn’t always happen. Because each of us has our own idea of perfection. And society has yet another one. And the medical fraternity? Maybe too many to list. I…

Later, when the shock set in, I realized taking time to have the post-medical chat was what saved us. Three seconds sooner…goosebumps! — “When we got home, we stopped, and took time to express gratitude for being alive.” My husband had stitches removed from his arm today. Our specialist assured us everything was looking good, so that brought some sunshine to the rather overcast, miserably-wet day.

Yet, try testing his IQ today, using appropriate parameters. Prepare to have egg on your face — Brandon was the youngest of a family of three. I’d taught all three siblings. All of them had problems in reading and writing. They were fabulous students I noted so many great qualities in each one of them. They enjoyed great friendship groups. They were fair and inclusive. Each was good at sport in…

For now, my conscience pricks. My heart is heavy with guilt. What should I have done? — I just couldn’t resist sharing this delightful story today. It warms my heart to know that such honesty prevails. After 84 years, several generations and the bombing of an English family home, a remarkable library book is back where it belongs.” Interested? Then read on. Just for a moment, try…

Easier said than done? ‘Not so’, says Marlane. “Just turn to the left” — I read this delightful story of love yesterday. Written by Marlane Ainsworth, she tells us that the process of spreading love is super-easy. She suggested all we need to do is turn to the left. It resonated with me because I would do the opposite when I walk along the…

A woman once vibrant, full of fun, witty, daring, and super-fit, until… — In the 1960s when nutritionists began to take center stage in the nutrition debate, a whole food section became a narrative of fear, a fear that only grew, and grew exponentially over the years. If you wanted to be really healthy you were advised to give up the staples our…

Yet it’s leaving a trail of sickness in its wake. Nothing tastes as good as health — When I was a child growing up in Scotland, we so looked forward to going berry picking in summer. We’d pick brambles, raspberries, and strawberries, all growing wild, and though we came home with enough left to make jam, much of them had been devoured by us, the juice stains…

It’s time to seriously check on those little white teeth — This story made me laugh, last night. It was so well-written, designed to entertain, and it delivered. But behind the veil of entertainment was a cry for help. …

Few choose to be homeless, in which case, help them fight the odds — It was the title of Bebe Nicholson’s last post that grabbed me. “Why The Homeless Woman in Our Church Will Not Be Coming Back” And I thought, what has she done — surely they won’t be banning her? Clever title, Bebe. A good title is what draws people into a…

October Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Collections” — The Mistakes Of Life Made Manifest. Well Mary Chang you really had me thinking. Collections…from me? What collections? As someone who has quite recently embraced, a not-quite-minimalist form of minimalism, what on earth could I offer that would satisfy such a title? And then it came to me. It’s always the wine. As I drained the…

She’d rather be able to breathe than… — This morning I edited this post by Emilia. She lives in Bucharest. She is almost 22 years old. And she stands out from the crowd because: she’s young, yet does a lot of walking she doesn’t have her driver’s licence and it could be that she never intends to Emilia…

So take charge. Elect to be your own physician. Your body, your life, your decision…always… — Some years ago I worked with a woman whose whole family was forever sick and on ever-increasing amounts of medication. She was hugely worried about this. She was even more worried about the increasing amount of money she was forking out for medication. To her way of thinking, her whole…