The Afterword

Author: Peter

  • What I Didn’t Plan

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    I’ve always been a learner—curious, studious, and passionate by temperament. At times, it has felt more like an obsession than a strength. The rhythm of learning, the unravelling of new ideas, the delight in fresh perspectives—it energises me. But looking back, I realise that one particular decision set in motion a pattern that has shaped…

  • Still, I Stay

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    —from the voice of a Syrian in exile I have never stopped dreaming of the olive trees.Even now,in this camp of sand and plastic walls,I see them when I close my eyes—the way their shadows fell across my grandfather’s fieldbefore everything cracked and scattered. Home is a scent that never fades.It lives in cardamom coffee,in…

  • Legacy

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    It started with a quiet hello,a question, May I walk you home?From that step forward,you walked together—steady, respectful, kind. You built a life without fanfare,through distance and duty,through saving, working, studying late,through raising a familyon love, not luxury. Your home was never just walls—it was presence.A place where needs were met,where laughter grew around the…

  • The Hospitality of the Compost Tip

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    Jerome flew inwith a rice cooker in his suitcase.Because true welcomeis a bit ridiculous—overflowing, steaming,offering more than anyone expects. The table beginsat the compost pile.Where spoiled fruit,forgotten herbs,and bruised generositybegin again. Hospitality isn’t tidy.It’s sticky, loud,full of smellsyou didn’t choose. But somewhere betweenthe rot and the rice,the mess and the meal,the ground is turning over.…

  • Bucket Lists and Buffett Lists

    —

    by

    Peter
    in ,

    There’s something intoxicating about a bucket list. The name itself is cheeky and rebellious—do these things before you kick the bucket. It suggests urgency, vibrancy, life-before-death. Bucket lists seduce us with a sense of possibility: Swim in Icelandic hot springs. Walk the Great Wall. Eat something unpronounceable in a night market at midnight. The irony,…

  • Hosanna and Tears – Luke 19:28–44

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    (A Lament in the Key of Hallel) It moves in slow motion—this final week.Like a breath held in the lungs of heaven.Something vast is about to crack the sky. Jesus rides.Not on a war horse.On a borrowed colt.No sword at his side,just a heart full of sorrowand a soul set like flint. He’s walked every…

  • The Happiness I Didn’t Buy

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    Let me start with what I am not. I am not a consumer, at least not in the way the world often defines it. I buy what I need—groceries, dog food, replacement socks. But I’ve never found myself wandering through a shopping centre just to “see what’s new.” I don’t crave the latest model of…

  • The Architecture of Relationship

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    They say school prepares you for life, but I think it’s more accurate to say it reveals you to yourself. If that’s true, then high school was the first place I caught a glimpse of the person I was becoming—the kind of person I wanted to be. I didn’t have the classic prelude. No pre-school…

  • One Brave Yes

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    Thirty years ago, I said yes to something that made my knees knock. Not a yes to danger or fame or anything that would impress my teenage self. Not a bungee jump or skydiving. No. This was far more terrifying: Creative writing. Even saying it still feels strange in my mouth, like speaking a second…

  • To Move Together

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    It’s a simple enough question—what’s the most fun way to exercise? But for me, the answer loops around in unexpected directions, landing somewhere between the paradoxical and the profound. The short answer is: with people. Always with people. But not just any people. And certainly not in any way. This in itself is strange. I’m…

  • This Book Reads Me

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    Well—not a book, exactly. A library. A sprawling, ancient, living library. The Bible. It’s the one I return to daily, not because I’ve mastered it, but because I haven’t. Not even close. You can’t really read it like other books. Not from start to finish, as though it were a novel or a textbook. Genesis…

  • On Being John Keating

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    If I could step into the shoes of any character from a book or film, I’d be tempted to choose John Keating from Dead Poets Society. Robin Williams brings him to life with that inimitable, twinkling mischief in his eye—the kind of teacher who walks on desks, encourages rebellion with flair, and dares students to…

  • Shadow, Stillness, Shine

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    We’ve always had female border collies. Maybe it started with Footrot Flats—those funny cartoons full of loyal friends with more personality than most people. Maybe it was happenstance. Either way, dogs have walked beside us throughout our married life, and they’ve each left their pawprints on us in different ways. Jessie was our first. Fresh…

  • Jesus’ T&Cs – Mark 8:22-9:1

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    Who is Jesus to you? We ask so many questions—Who will I marry?What job will I take?Where will I live?But only one questionechoes into eternity. Who do you say I am? The crowds had their theories—The Baptist, Elijah, a prophet, a threat.Peter says it plainly:You are the Messiah.God’s King.But his vision is still blurred. Because…

  • Staying Soft

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    When I was a teenager, I heard someone say something that stayed with me: that he was lucky because he got paid to do what he would gladly do for nothing. He was a minister—an evangelist, to be precise—and his job was to tell people what he knew about God. And people paid him to…

  • The Quiet Ones

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    As an Australian, it almost feels like swimming is part of our DNA. We’re a coastal people—literally. Around 87% of us live within 50 kilometres of the coastline. All of our major cities hug the shore. That’s over 22 million people who call the coast home, and when we talk about the “classic Aussie holiday,”…

  • Heartbeat

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    There is something precious about the season of life that university represents. These years are often full of energy and possibility, and Robert Menzies College (RMC) gives space for students to embrace that—to enjoy the strength in their bodies, the openness of their futures, and the gift of being with others who are also finding…

  • When the Storm Came

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Robert Menzies College (RMC) at Macquarie University, Sydney, found itself in a uniquely higher-risk setting. As a residential college, we faced a heightened potential for contagion. But rather than respond with fear or retreat, we chose to step forward—digging deep into our identity as a Caregiver institution. RMC has always…

  • Do You Still Not See? – Mark 7:24–8:30

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    It begins like marriage advice:Not with love,but with listening.Not just nodding—but hearing,asking,seeking to understand:“Did you say…?”Because what matters to themshould matter to you.And if we want depth with God—it’s the same. Jesus speaks.But we’re worried about bread.He multiplies loaves— twice.We count crumbs,miss meaning.He sighs,“Do you still not see?Are your hearts hardened?” The Pharisees ask for…

  • The Long Work of Peace

    —

    by

    Peter
    in

    Peaceis not the absence of heat,but the refusal to set fire. It isthe trembling artof standing stillin the middle of serious, serious disagreementwithout reaching for the sword. I have shouted in love before—I have listened in silence and not loved at all.But peace asks more:not just to feel right,but to live rightwhen the table is…