Author Archives
from Susan Narjala
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 ...
Startling Obedience, Simple Joy
It’s not often that an auditor with an MBA from the U.S. changes career paths to become a Montessori teacher.
It’s even less likely that they would start a preschool in India with the sole purpose of reaching out to underprivileged children.
But, then again, Saraswathi Padmanabhan, is not one of those people you meet often. Her unique ...
Beauty From Ashes
I remember seeing the grainy newspaper picture of a charred station wagon.
It was 1999 and I was doing my undergraduate degree. The picture was so startling, the story behind it so horrifying, that it sliced right through my usually-frivolous preoccupations to sear itself on my heart.
The incident prompted the most hardened person to cry out, ...
Moms, You Are Not Enough
“Mama, you got this. You are enough.” My heart sank when I read the last lines in an article on a leading website for Christian mothers. My heart sank, because it was my article.
The article was intended to encourage moms in the trenches of raising little ones and overwhelmed by trying to do it all. ...
MEET SUSAN
