The 15th April, 2010 was a day not much different to today. The autumn sun had slipped lower in the sky, making the day cool enough for a jacket. As I was putting my mascara on in the bathroom, ahead of a normal day at work, the telephone rang. The man on the other end of… Read More
A long, long time ago, before many of you were born, Coca-Cola screened a television advertisement featuring the song, “I’d Like To Teach the World to Sing (in Perfect Harmony)”. The song became a world-wide hit and was recorded as a single by the New Seekers and the Hilltop Singers. I was seven years old in 1971, but… Read More
The pastor stared at his hands as if he were avoiding looking at me. “Are you sleeping with him?” he asked. I wondered for a moment if I should lie and tell him no. But lying was as much of a sin as fornication. Maybe it was less of a sin. I wasn’t sure anymore.… Read More
The arguments on my friend’s Facebook page descend into name-calling. It is to be expected, of course. She’s been talking about religion. I sit and witness the back and forth comments of theists and atheists alike, each with their own rock solid convictions. God is not real, the atheists say, he’s as imaginary as the Easter… Read More
My friend Jill stood in line at the checkout. Through the store speakers, strains of I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas floated down to mingle with the chatter of the customers. Jill smiled to herself, it had been a long time since she’d had a white Christmas, and she wasn’t expecting one this year. Sydney… Read More
I spent my teenage years on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, and through the church my parents attended, I became friends with George Perdikis, John James and Peter Furler. These young men would go on to form the popular Christian rock band The Newsboys.
The Humanist Creed expresses what I believe in, rather than what I don’t.
Is it possible that I am the only one who has given up religion, or are other people tip-toeing around the issue the same way as I have?
When I read about other people’s grief, I am ashamed. I cannot legitimately take my place among those who mourn the loss of someone they loved, someone who they miss every day and who they long to see again for just a few moments. My husband is dead, and the manner of his death was unnatural… Read More
Here are my wounds. Here are my scars. Body shame, shyness, anxiety, guilt, fear, hopelessness.
Will they ever be fixed? I don’t think so. Is darkness such a bad thing?
Are you okay?
I ask my boyfriend.
He frowns, knowing what the question means.
I’m not going to kill myself, he says.
If one person dies globally from completing suicide every 40 seconds, and almost 80% of those people are men, there are many, many wives, girlfriends and partners left behind. This post is for those who are still here and have to live with the grief and trauma of knowing someone who chose to end their life.
They say we should ‘start a conversation’ about depression but sometimes it’s impossible to find the words. At *Not Waving Drowning* all you need to do is raise your hand and others will give you their time, their love and their support without you having to explain anything.