Sunday 25 December 2016

BOXING DAY

It's 5.00am on Boxing Day morning, sleep is eluding me so time for some reflections.
29 years ago today my son Rory was born. Such a long time ago yet it has passed quickly.
What a joy he is, and I hope he has a happy day relaxing with his friends and Rose. We had a lovely day yesterday and kept it small and simple here at home. The smallest and the last Christmas we will ever have in this home. It was easy and happy and we all ate far too much, as we'd had a brunch earlier in the day with Georgia's man Dane's family.

Today I'm going over to Takamatua to spend it with my big sister and her tribe and my younger brother and his wife. We were all hoping our other sister would be there too, but she is sadly very unwell and in hospital. I am excited because today is the day I'm going to give them a special book I have been working on for quite some time. I've had 5 copies of it made, one for each of us, and I've had them for a couple of weeks now, published and sent from America, and I can't wait to give it to them. It was all too busy and hectic in the week before Christmas. I will just have to wait a little longer to give it to my other brother and sister. It is a book of "Our Mother's Prayers" made up of hundreds of prayers written on a variety of cut up wheetbix and cruskit and bell tea boxes and similar, over several decades of Mum's lifetime. I found these prayers when we were going through Mum's things after she died on the tenth of the tenth in 2010. They are beautiful and real and raw and a living testament of her love for us all, and of what an amazing woman and Mother she was.

I am strangely a little nervous now it is finally time to reveal this big project. 
There is stuff in there that will make each of us cringe on occasion, but it's all part of the rich tappestry of the life of our Mother, of her strength and courage, her grace, and her love and acceptance of us all, just as we are.

I have had much professional help and support from fellow blogger and journalist, Soberman365. He photographed every single prayer beautifully and laid them all out in the book, while I typed them all to be shown on the page opposite the photographs. It looks so cool seeing the hand written version of them all, next to the typed, which is in a handwriting font. Then I've tried to sort them as well as I can into date order, which has been the hardest and most time consuming part of it all, even more so than the typing, as they span close to thirty years. The cover is made of a mix of all the cut up packets and looks colourful and interesting, and  if it wasn't for the title on the cover one would never guess the depth of the content inside.

So off I go for a day in the sun, and it will also be fabulous to see the progress on my house again now that the gib is nearly completed, and the big oak door I've had made has been installed last week.

It's early evening now and I've had such a nice day catching up with family, my niece with her husband and four gorgeous children. My other niece and her Mum too whom I haven't seen in ages. My sister and brother love their books, and I know they will treasure them, and will read it thoughtfully in quieter moments than today gave us. I know that Mum would be happy today.







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