Author Archives
from Susan Narjala
Motherhood: The Freedom of Not Being Enough
Women, particularly moms, are increasingly being told that we are “enough.” Best-selling books, popular blogs and even sermons constantly repeat the “You are enough” mantra. But does that phrase help grow our dependence on God? Is it even true? This Bible Plan counters that we are not enough, and challenges us to lean on the ...
My Dad – A Good Man
I remember crafting you a poem when I was eleven years old. It was your 45th birthday and I wrote this for you:
“Born in ‘45
Today 45,
Half of 90
In the Year ‘90”
You thought my poem was next-level brilliant. Like, Nobel Literature Prize worthy. Like, T S Elliot should be taking notes.
Thirty years later, you’re still the ...
One Fierce-Hearted Woman
"She’ll be coming ‘round the mountain when she comes. She’ll be coming ‘round the mountain when she comes . . ."
You’re probably familiar with this sing-along melody. You’ve sung it on school buses headed to picnics and during big fat Indian family vacations. The “she” in question seems brazenly audacious. She rides six white horses ...
You Don’t Need To Prove Yourself – Letter To My 20-Year Old Self
You want to fit in, to belong — and for others to see that you do.
You think that life will be made if you’re offered a fancy job at one of those skyscrapers downtown. You expect to find a godly life-partner who is also blessed with a sense of humor, a suitable supporting actor in ...
The Two Words That Can Transform Your Parenting
Exactly two years ago, I wrote this little post right after I looked out of my 9th-floor apartment window down at the tarps below. Tarps which were home to families who lived in the otherwise-empty piece of land next door.
That little post was my first to go "viral.". Since then, a couple of my other ...
The 10K Postmortem
As I walk up the stairs, my knees start protesting. If they could, they would hold placards saying, “Unfair Treatment,” or “You’re Killing Us.”
And they would be justified in their allegations and demands. Their claims would not be baseless. (Just to make sure we’re on the same page, we’re still talking about my knees).
Yesterday, I ...
Turn Your Bucket List Into Your Treasure List
Sip chocolat chaud in Paris with the Eiffel Tower as the backdrop. (The Louvre might work well as the “set” too)
Walk under a canopy of Sakura trees in Japan. (Zero tourists, gentle breeze and bright blue sky required)
Go on an ultra-extravagant cruise on the Mediterranean with unlimited buffet options. (Calories have no bearing on real ...
Happy Mother’s Day to the Best of Them!
They were the generation without self-help books about purposeful parenting or about getting kids to listen and obey. They were the mothers who never stepped foot in a pre-natal yoga class or even heard the word "Lamaze." They were the moms who parented, back when the word “parent” was a noun and not a verb.
They ...
Break My Heart For What Breaks Yours
As I hear her story, my stomach churns. I hold back the tears.
I’m interviewing a beautiful 23-year-old woman for a project I’m working on. She lives in a shelter home with her two little girls. I’d steeled myself to hear a shocking story of domestic violence. But I didn’t expect to have such a visceral ...
MEET SUSAN
