A friend offered me a gift for my birthday. I accepted. I was offered some work. I accepted. I was offered a new phone contract. I didn’t accept. It seems to me, that whenever we talk about “accepting” there is an element of choice. We accept if we want it; we don’t accept if we…
Having a special place to grieve and remember is important for many people. A special place marks our loved one’s space and time in history. It is a focal point that we can visit; a place where we might talk to them, pray for them, reflect. It’s a place for remembrance. The special place doesn’t…
(A personal commentary about the challenges of being a bereaved parent, mother, father) Another day, another loch. We are almost at the end of our two week summer break in Scotland. It has been a lazy “be kind to yourself” time, with the simplest of meals and the simplest of pleasures – amazing scenery, long…
The sun shines, glimmering on the water as the gentle breeze makes ripples. Up ahead is a thick pine forest clinging with determination to the steep slopes. There is a path on the opposite shore; the circuit of this small Loch is about 7 miles. The steep slopes are the lower reaches of a Munro…
This post is a follow on to the previous article on depression, treatment, and the depressed Christian. Celebrity deaths by suicide often precipitate another round of public discussion about depression, mental illness, and the importance of talking about our problems and not just keeping everything inside. There are other topics that come out too, such…
This blog is primarily about coping with grief, and just because someone is grieving, does not mean that they are depressed. However, recently I’ve met more than a few people whose grief intersects with depression, and I think it’s worthwhile writing about depression in general, and dealing with it as Christians. Mental health problems…
My spring 2014 article in Dovetales, the newsletter published by The Dove Service. A DIFFICULT LIFE; A SAD ENDING Coping with grief complicated by a difficult or troubled relationship He or she is gone. Could have been your life partner, husband or wife; could have been a brother or sister, son or daughter, or close…
