Editorial – 8 August 2008

When you read some stories you get the impression you’re walking on ‘holy ground’―that the experiences and feelings that make up the story come from the deepest places in the writer’s heart and that you’re privileged to be permitted access. This week we have two such stories. My Journey to ME was submitted by Clare Mead, who emigrated with her husband from the UK two years ago. It is a story of loving, optimistic perseverance finding its reward in a life enjoyed. In Child of My Dreams Annie Reid allows us to glimpse the journey of suffering and love she went through with her daughter Hayley whose life was cut short by bone cancer.

While there is great suffering in the world there is also great compassion―people willing to dedicate their money, their skills, their time, comfort and security to relieving the suffering of others. Kylie Bentham, theatre nurse, has just returned from a two-year assignment in Ghana and Liberia where her team performed life-giving surgeries on destitute and often abandoned people. The article about Kylie’s work is enlightening and a ‘must read’.

I bet you didn’t know that women were the discoverers of wine and, according to Sandy Myhre, appreciate it in the way it deserves much more than men do. However, if you don’t think your mental clarity can afford to be further compromised, try out the Aromatip of the week.

It’s said that the best ideas are the simplest ones. Angella Gilbert is full of them and this week’s tip, Decluttering for the Taxman, is one of the best. If you want to replace that feeling of ‘I’m a muddling, neglectful-of-important-administration woman’ with ‘I’m a totally onto-it woman and everything important is at my fingertips’, then this is for you.

Happy reading and Olympic games viewing.