The Life Journal

Small reflections. Lasting reminders.

Notes from Kelly on family, kindness, country and the everyday moments that quietly shape a meaningful life.

Family & community

A reminder to take care of our elderly

This is my extraordinary Great Aunty Elsie, the last surviving sibling of seven in her family.

Aunty Elsie turns 96 soon. She lives alone in the home where she has spent the largest part of her life. She is fiercely independent, keeps her home clean, tends her garden and has no time for gossip or unkindness.

She is grateful for visitors and loves to sit with them in her garden. Aunty Elsie is a reminder for me to cherish, love and respect our precious elderly.

Life’s pauses

Family holidays

Family holidays are such a special way to reconnect with the people we love.

Being away from home and trying new experiences brings us together in a more relaxed way than when we are dealing with the everyday pressures of life.

Holidays allow us the opportunity to step off the wheel, if only for a short time—and return feeling rested, more inspired and more patient with one another.

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.”— Robert Louis Stevenson