Page 1 of Elsabe Smit's writing

1. About Relationships: Let's Not Argue About Custody I want to leave my marriage. Will my husband allow me access to the children when I leave him? This is a challenging situation because it goes against the norm. People would expect a woman to leave her marriage and by default take the... (posted by Elsabe 217 days 1 hour ago.)

2. Letting Go of a Relationship Why is it that we hold on to relationships long past their natural end? Think of a friendship that no longer exists. Do you still remember how your friend insulted or deserted you? You gained new friends, but you still feel that hurt. ... (posted by Elsabe 2 years 4 days ago.)

3. Are you doing Job's job? Here is an interesting piece of information: I looked up the meaning of the word "job" in the dictionary. The meanings included "task, chore, difficulty, problem, trouble, hard time". This reminded me of a biblical figure called Job, whose name... (posted by Elsabe 2 years 163 days ago.)

4. Let's Play Soldiers I have been bothered about the fuss over the deaths of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan for a long time, but could not quite put my finger on the reason for feeling bothered about it. Was my concern about the fact that people died? Not really.... (posted by Elsabe 2 years 274 days ago.)

5. Bigamy Does Not Undermine the Institution of Marriage I can feel just this heading is enough cause for me to duck some eggs, oranges and other missiles, but your actions would be uninformed, so let's have a truce while I state my case. A woman was recently sentenced to ten months in prison... (posted by Elsabe 2 years 293 days ago.)

6. Should Criminals Be Shown Mercy? Should murderers and rapists be shown mercy? Should people who commit lesser sins or crimes be shown mercy? Or should people simply be punished for their crimes and be kept away from the victims? We often read in the media about victims of... (posted by Elsabe 2 years 301 days ago.)

7. Heard the One About the Elephant and the Ant? Did you know that there is an ant colony that lives on three continents? Seriously. There is a colony of Argentine ants that has spread to Europe and Japan, of course with some help from people. One colony spreads over 6 000 km (3 700 miles) along... (posted by Elsabe 2 years 301 days ago.)

8. Did Michael Jackson die because of foul play? It is always interesting to see how people respond to death. The reaction is often so predictable, even though people that lose a loved one believe that the experience is so unique that nobody will understand them. Of course the latest example... (posted by Elsabe 2 years 325 days ago.)

9. Facebook and Ministerial Expenses - Our Common Enemy I have found a way to do exactly as I please and get away with it. It is so simple that I cannot believe I have never used it before. All I have to do is point to someone who may be remotely associated with me, and say "They made me do it". I have... (posted by Elsabe 2 years 347 days ago.)

10. Tarot and the Flat Earth Society Imagine this: It is the year 1492. You are Christopher Columbus and you have just discovered that when you stand on the beach, you can see waves, but when you stand on a cliff you can see the ocean but no waves. Did the waves disappear? No, of... (posted by Elsabe 2 years 356 days ago.)

11. Is Meditation for Dummies or for Wise People? There was a time when meditation or no meditation was a serious question for me. I come from a Protestant background where in my view (which is admittedly biased) prayer was a practice of reciting important-sounding words. I struggled for years... (posted by Elsabe 3 years 63 days ago.)

12. Will the world end on 21st December 2012? Will the world end on 21st December 2012? If not, what will happen? My intuition has always told me that date is the end of time, but not the end of the world. I did not have much more knowledge, but then read a very informative book called... (posted by Elsabe 3 years 76 days ago.)

13. On Mistresses and Morals I recently shared a meal with some acquaintances. The conversation turned to how relationships start. Someone explained, to much laughter from the group, how she tried everything to get away, but eventually realised that someone was Mr Right and... (posted by Elsabe 3 years 118 days ago.)

14. I Always Get the Perfect Parking Space I want to talk today about something that we tend to take for granted when it suits us, but we disbelieve when we are made aware of us. I am referring to the amazing ability we have to know what will happen to us before it happens. Sometimes we... (posted by Elsabe 3 years 125 days ago.)

15. Chinese Whispers and American Foreign Policy Sometimes I am astonished at real things that happen - even if you dream up the most absurd scenario, you can always find something that actually happened that is more absurd. What I have found most amusing is the foreign policy credentials of... (posted by Elsabe 3 years 209 days ago.)

16. Your oxygen mask IS working Have you ever been on a plane and listened to the safety announcements? I know, when you are a regular air passenger, you get into the habit of blocking out the safety announcements because they are always the same and always boring. But let's see... (posted by Elsabe 3 years 229 days ago.)

17. Can we stop the suicides in Bridgend? There is a village in Wales in the UK, between Cardiff and Swansea, where 17 young people have committed suicides. The facts are not consistent - when did this start? If Natasha Randall was the twelfth victim in thirteen years, as one newspaper... (posted by Elsabe 3 years 250 days ago.)

18. Is Suicide a Sin or an Act of Bravery? Many years ago I heard that an old school friend of mine had committed suicide. We were not very close, but we went to school and to Sunday school together, and we formed the kind of bond that result from sharing such activities. I remember not... (posted by Elsabe 3 years 280 days ago.)

19. I am 50 years young I recently celebrated my 50th birthday. It was a wonderful day with family, friends, good weather, good food, lots of laughter, reminiscing and loads of love. I was a little bit off balance before the birthday, because for some reason 50 seemed to... (posted by Elsabe 3 years 292 days ago.)

20. This Is Just Not Happening To Me If you have ever experienced a sudden shock, you would probably have noticed how time suddenly slowed down and how you can still remember every moment of what happened, as if in slow motion. You would also have noticed how you and any other people... (posted by Elsabe 3 years 300 days ago.)

21. Muslims May Own Dogs There is a significant news item in the UK at the moment that made me wonder (again) about religion, faith and tolerance. The item is about a postcard advert for a non-emergency phone number for the police. The postcard features a black puppy... (posted by Elsabe 3 years 315 days ago.)

22. When Staying In a Hotel, Wear Pyjamas What is the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you? Try and beat this one. I recently had to attend an evening meeting in Kent, south of London. I was due in London early the next morning. Rather than risk missing the last train... (posted by Elsabe 3 years 325 days ago.)

23. Premonitions and Confirmations Have you ever had the experience where you think of someone and then the phone rings and it is that person calling you? Or where you talk about someone and that person walks into the room unexpectedly? And then there are the many instances where... (posted by Elsabe 3 years 339 days ago.)

24. The Gift of Wisdom From the Elderly When I was young, we were taught to respect people that were older than us, regardless of who they were. I, in my youthful rebellion, disagreed. For me it was far more important to respect people for what they have done and how they have proven... (posted by Elsabe 4 years 13 days ago.)

25. I Believe In Angels and Fairies and Mermaids Have you ever seen a real fairy? Or a giant, or a dwarf, or a troll, or a mermaid, or an angel? No? Then that means they do not exist, right? If you have never been to Africa, would you be able to identify a giant African elephant, or a giraffe... (posted by Elsabe 4 years 28 days ago.)