Welcome!
Di Shearer
Welcome – 80 Years and Counting
We are launching this website in celebration of my 80 years and looking ahead to the decade to come.
Join in and read or listen a while to some of my reflections on this stage of my journey.
I’m also fascinated by bark on our eucalypts, so enjoy their beauty as you listen.
navigating Health & aging
A New Chapter in My Journey
As I look ahead into my 80s, living with health challenges has become an integral part of my daily journey. Just as eucalypt bark sheds and undergoes constant transformation through the seasons, our physical bodies navigate shift, change, and vulnerability as time goes on.
An Update On My Health
During a recent trip to Brisbane, a stay in the hospital for a painful wrist led doctors to discover irregularities in my blood count. Following further testing and a bone marrow biopsy back home, I have been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML).
As I navigate this diagnosis, I have chosen a path of minimal intervention to focus on comfort, peace, and quality of life. While standard full treatment might offer up to two years, my decision means my remaining time may be measured in months. I approach this next stage of life with deep gratitude for the journey so far and appreciation for all who share in it.
Creative Writing
Ph D
In my 40s and 50s, I wrote a thesis entitled ‘Intercultural Personhood: A Mainstream Australian Biographical Case Study’. It was asking what makes a mainstream Australian welcoming of ‘strangers’ – those from different cultural backgrounds. You can read it here, if you have time and interest.
D Min
In my 60s, I wrote a thesis entitled ‘Finding my way, Minding my call – a catholic quest’. This was about what true personal catholicity is and my findings guided me through my 70s. You can read it here, if you are curious.
Poems and Reflections
Over the years I’ve been a bit of a poet. One of my secondary school students kept one of these and brought it to a reunion we had several decades later. But most of that you’ll find here are more recent creations.
Stories
I’ve never been a reader of novels, with the exception of some historical and theological tomes. But I would like to develop my story-telling. So here are some attempts for you to savour.
Arts & Crafts
Rapt In Bark
My first art exhibition was entitled: ‘Rapt in Bark’. Here are photos of the originals. I wrote a series of reflections that went with the paintings and include them here as well.
Other Art Work
Paintings of mine of blue wrens are spread across the globe … but I don’t have a photographic record of them. Here are some other ‘messing with colour’ memorabilia that are my best visual art form.
Crafts
- Spinning and Weaving: a new skill, also ancient, I’m learning now.
- Lace Making: an ancient skill I learned in my 40s.
- Music: I’ve enjoyed recorder playing from early primary school years through to current ensembles and music groups.
Networks
contact
Please feel free to be in touch with me wherever you are in the world and from whatever background or faith.
dishearer@icloud.com
PO Box 524, Port Elliot, South Australia … 5212
+61 448 536 835