In our world, I notice that strength shows up in one way that is not always recognized. It shows up in our ability to be real and present with our feelings.

There is this typical and overwhelming cultural idea that a ‘strong’ woman is extremely confident and unmoving. She can do everything and not break a sweat. No one can mess with her. She is above all things and is non-emotional. She doesn’t cry. She is strong enough to hide her personality, which makes her mysterious and passive. She can push through any pain and is totally independent. This is not the type of woman I want as a role model for my daughters, or myself.
Continue reading Thank You For Hurting →

Just less than a year ago I auditioned for and joined the Johannesburg Symphony Choir. It had been 4 years since I had sung with the Bryn Athyn Cathedral Choir. To say that I was a little out of practice, or rusty, would not be an unfair assessment. It may seem strange to say that one can be out of practice for singing in a choir, but the truth is it’s like a muscle that one has to keep using to keep it supple.

There are two major areas that I had to exercise and get back up to speed. The first is the discipline of sight reading and correctly pitching the music. I’m a second alto and in the large symphony choir it is assumed that every choir member can sight read the music. When everyone can sight read the music the choir master / conductor can concentrate choir rehearsals on the dynamics of piece of music instead of hammering away through the notes for eight different voices.
Continue reading My Voice In The Choir →

Time is a valuable commodity squandered by those with an excess of it, which often seems to be a result of the roles we play in our family lives. I am originally from Sebrepor, a town in Tema, Ghana; and came to the US for College in 2004. I am now a permanent resident living in New Jersey with my husband and two sons. My experiences have shown me the way in which the differences in culture relating to gender roles have an effect on the time spent on enjoying family life. The differences in gender roles can most easily be expressed by examining the activities involved in daily life.
Continue reading Life In Two Worlds →

It would seem that valuing money is pretty straight-forward, right? I mean, a dollar’s worth a dollar, 50¢ worth 50¢, and so forth. That seems pretty obvious at first blush [and I won’t go into comparing currency values!], but then I think about all the amazing finds I’ve gotten from thrift shops – just because I paid ⅛ of the retail price doesn’t make it any less valuable to me! On the flip side, if I paid twice as much as I should have,… well, yeah, I might be a little more protective of it.

My husband made a great point, the other day: he said he wanted to get on our nine-year-old son’s case about ALL the stuff in his room, the need to appreciate it and and take care of it, etc, but then it occurred to him, ‘Wait a minute, is that really what we want to be teaching our son, that material possessions are so important?’ I must say, I think he’s onto something. The Lord tells us time and again that we shouldn’t rest our affections on THINGS! Continue reading The Value of Money →