I have often pondered the story of Martha and Mary. I tend to side with Martha. Put in contemporary terms, Martha and Mary are sisters who keep house for their brother, Lazarus. Lazarus brings home his charismatic friend, Jesus, and a crowd of hangers on, at least a dozen of

There's a story my daughter and I find very apt for those occasions when you feel you have a problem but in the course of trying to solve it you make things so much worse that simply returning to the status quo is a great relief. Sometimes we

I have picked a small posy of flowers from the garden to put on the table in the middle of the room. There are blue and purple salvia and daisies and a large white arum lily. A member of the Meeting stands and studies the flowers on the table. I&

What a marvellous time of year! After a rush to finish up my work commitments and tidy the garden, I've been in Wellington for two weeks of family celebrations. My grandson turned one year old just before Christmas and was surrounded by loving relatives and presents. His/our

I visited a friend this morning and over green tea and homemade biscuits I said how much I'm enjoying summer days spending time with friends, or swimming, reading and gardening, but that I worried that I lacked a sense of purpose. She told me how an older woman

When my children were seven and five we did a sponsored 'Walk for the Whales', ten kilometres around Auckland's bays. They were both veterans of various marches and had a collection of badges with mottos such as 'You can't cuddle children with nuclear

A wet winter has at last given way to spring. Daffodils that were bowed down by rain are lifting their heads and the Omega plum tree outside my door is a mass of tiny white flowers which smell of honey. I am watching to see whether the bees are about