If There Was A Time To Be Grateful – Surely It’s Now

At at time of year when parts of the world are full of Christmas cheer and others gear up to celebrate the New Year – I find myself living in a sunny state of holiday bliss while a somewhat darker shadow casts itself nearby.

There has been so much sadness in Australia this past week. I don’t need to write about it here, so many others have had much to say. It hasn’t felt right to come here and wax lyrical about beach houses, family time, great wine and food. I feel relaxed, so relaxed – but I can’t help but think about others who are going to have an incredibly difficult christmas.

My hometown has had its share of grief, men who were far too young to die and left loved ones behind. A family without its father, a woman my age whose body had had enough. Yesterday our nation once again stopped to question why and how – the senseless deaths of eight children.

And here I sit. The sounds of squeals coming from our back yard while my children crawl all over each other in our 1986 campervan in the driveway. The doors and windows are stretched open to capacity while the breeze drifts throughout the house and the unmistakably smell of an Australian summer fills the room. A hint of bbq with subtle tones of beach and bubbles. This is my happy place – my soul replenished.

While the dark shadow is nearby: a headline on the Saturday paper, a story from a friend. I think all of us are conscious to feel more grateful than ever. We are charmed to be here, lucky to have each other, and if there’s ever a time to come together and be thankful surely it is right now.