Tuesday, December 3, 2013

November - In Gratitude

We have so  much to be grateful for generally but no more so than for the month of November 2013. Several years after Oscar put in his wish with the Make a Wish Foundation Australia he was granted the opportunity of his dreams. Some lovely volunteers delivered plane tickets, accommodation vouchers and some other gifts to our doorstep to send us away to Tangalooma Resort, Moreton Island, Queensland.

Tangalooma is a magical place with white sands and crystal clear waters and a dolphin family that visits each day at sunset to be fed by the marine biologists. This feeding routine started several generations of dolphins ago when lights were first put up on the jetty at Tangalooma. This attracted a dolphin family and people began to feed them. Today, the marine biologists of Tangalooma have a legal permit to feed this family (and any future generations of this dolphin family) only so as not to negatively impact the behaviours of the local dolphin population.

It was Oscar's wish to swim with dolphins (actually, his original wish was to have a pet dolphin we could keep in the bath but failing that we 'negotiated' a compromise). Just standing on the jetty watching the dolphins play was wonderful enough - they are so clearly happy, joyful creatures. So getting to feed them was a real thrill. Much more so than I could have imagined. We got to feed 'Storm' and it was a very windy and wild night so the photo's aren't as good as they could have been but it was an awesome experience. We were all on a high afterwards.

Our apartment was directly above the dolphin feeding area so we could actually sit on our balcony and watch the dolphins playing in the water. We were spoilt beyond measure and even though we were only there a week it felt like much longer. It was magical beyond words and much needed for all of us.

So this blog is dedicated in gratitude to all the staff at Make a Wish who worked hard to make our trip such a wonderful experience, plus all of you out there who donate to this fantastic organisation and all the staff at Tangalooma who showed us such a great welcome. And to any families out there whose child is currently in treatment for cancer or even if you have finished treatment and not yet put a wish in with the foundation - please do so. There was something very symbolically healing about celebrating the hope that wish fulfilment can bring to the heart of a family.

November was also the month when Oscar turned 5 years old and Auden turned 6 years old - and for two whole weeks they got to be the same age. Being 5 years old at the same time was a thrill for them even if it was only for two weeks! It was very low key (they get to have a party every second year and this year was a non-party year) but it was a lot of fun celebrating with them.

Also, November has been busy with opportunities and a different flow to our little family as a result of the holiday. It really was life changing in the sense that we all took a moment to exhale after a fair amount of holding our breath over recent years and just getting into the head space of enjoying the moment without the every day grind that we all have when we are in our home environment.

So, we are deeply grateful and overwhelmed with how fortunate we are and today, December 4th 2013 is our 13th wedding anniversary. We are very blessed and want for nothing and just enjoying this little gift we call our family.

I hope you and all your families are doing well too. Xmas can be a hard time for many families, especially if you have a loved one in hospital. May you find the moments of light in amongst the unnecessary pressure we put on ourselves to create an ideal that does not always exist. May you have some precious time with your loved ones whatever the circumstances and remember that at the end of the day love is all there is. With deep gratitude and much love, Cindy x