Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey made this phrase famous in a film of the same name some years ago. The concept involves the recipient of a favour, instead of paying the favour back, paying it forward to three new recipients. Each recipient is then asked to pay it forward, to three more recipients. The favour … More Pay It Forward
The other day here in Australia, I was with a friend in town when her daughter called her, panic-stricken after being bitten by a snake at their home 10km from town. As I sat on the phone with Emergency Services, who answered on the first ring, replying to their orderly and systematised questions, my surprisingly … More Baby Business
Darwin mentioned the word love 95 times in the Descent of Man. He mentioned survival of the fittest twice. Five months ago, days after Paula’s major corrective surgery, Samantha and I left Seattle, bound for Phnom Penh. A week later I returned home to Australia. The last time Samantha or I saw her, Paula was … More Our Fields of Gold
I am in the throes of a prolonged episode of writer’s block right now. Sorry Mum! Today I spent time with a patient from a remote Central Australian community about 300km out of Alice Springs. I have spent a few months of my life in this community so we had a common interest. In a … More Some Reasons I Love Central Australia
Amazing hugs at Seattle airport from one mom to another who both had sick children. We come from different parts of the world. I am atheist and she is Muslim but the feelings are the same. Take that Donald! These words of elation captioned a very happy photograph the other night just after Karen touched … More Happiness Is….
Something I learned from my time in Cambodia is that when you live in a destitute economy, you learn to be innovative and to waste nothing. Impoverished communities, including those here in Central Australia, also share their resources to provide the best benefit to the whole community. For example, different members of multiple families in … More Blinded By The Light
In 2013 a wealthy American teenager killed four people in a drink-drive accident. His defence lawyers argued that he was ill-equipped for real life due to his wealthy lifestyle. The judge agreed and he was sentenced to ten years probation, with no jail time. One of his defence team coined the phrase “affluenza” to describe … More Affluenza
As 2015 draws to a close recurrent flashbacks plague me. It’s a very pleasant affliction. Six weeks back at work and I remain well and truly in a chilled out frame of mind. Eventually the memories and mood will fade, but in the meantime I continue to soak up the constant flashes of spontaneous memories … More The Year That Was
For almost four of the seven years between 2007 – 2013 I was a long term foster Mum to three separate children over four separate periods. It started with a 12yo boy called Mathew at the end of 2006, through a series of often shocking events which I could never have predicted in my wildest … More Global Fortunes
The English word charity has a long and ambiguous history, depending on the source you refer to. It stems from the 4th century when St Jerome translated the Christian bible from Greek to Latin. He used “caritas” in place of “agape” which is referenced over 300 times in the Greek version and is said to … More Speaking of Charity
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