Today was a BIG day. I did the service for children at church this morning. It was a "Technology hates me" day as I forgot the disc with my story on, couldn't get the OHP to focus, and had some trouble with the tape player. But it all went wonderfully well. I had gifts for the congregation members and the men loved the cheap Bear print neckties, the women got coffee mugs and the children mugs with animals on and sweets. It was so good to see them all enjoying the singing, and laughing at the right places in the story.

I did a play about a stockman who had a visit from angels ( an updated version of the Christmas story) and that went over well too. Having lived out west for three year helps, I think if you can hear the authentic bushman's voice in your head when you are writing dialogue then it comes out more sincerely. My "voice" was a man who used to be a gardener on the property we lived on.

I imagined that "Wokka" had the heavenly visitors appear and rubbed his eyes and thought it was probably a dream. But just to be on the safe side he would ride off to town and see if he could find this girl Mary, her infant son, and her new husband, who hadn't been able to find a suitable place to stay and see if he could give her an hand. He was amazed when he saw "the little chap" lying there in the hay that was used for animal bedding. He put a hand in the pocket of his old khaki shorts, found "a few bob"(shillings in our pre-decimal days) and gave it to the lass, asking her to see if she could just buy the little chap something suitable: "You girls know what to buy, a chap like me's not good at that sort of thing." exactly what Wok would have said.

I'd planned to re-play this rather than tell the story but live commentary with the kids as stockman, Mary and angels seemed to do as well. Of course the saying: "Never work with children or animals" applied here too and sometimes the action was not quite what I'd planned. But in a way you northerm hemisphere folk can't imagine it is hard to bring the story of a mid-winter journey and the birth of Christ in Bethlehem to life in a hot mid-summer setting in coastal Australia. I think we managed some of it this time.

We all had morning tea together and when the others went I packed up the church. It is used as a hall as well for mid-week events like Playgroup, A.A meetings and Garden Club once a month so it always needs to be packed up again. It gives me time to reflect on the service that way. Ray is patient with my busyness, he brings a Readers Digest magazine and sits and reads while I bustle about. I am thankful for that patience, it is part of the reason I have been able to be his carer for six years. I know that he will sometimes suffer me to do what I want to do knowing that this enables me to get through the bad times. I know that the bad times will be followed by better times when I can "have some of my old life back".

This afternoon we went and met with friends for "Ray's picnic". This came out of my explaining that if Ray continues to have TIAs etc that we may not be able to continue with our dinners out and it would be nice if we coud picnic occassionally instead. So today we did, 22 of us, and it was very pleasant, close to the water, in the path of a nice cool sea breeze. Ray ate fish and chips really well, someone else brought bottled water for him and the men helped me push the wheelchair and repack the car. They don't usually, they were mellowed by the lazy afternoon maybe or perhaps seeing us in the light of day made a difference. We do see more clearly sometimes and our hearts are touched with compassion and we reach out to others.

He is asleep now, tired by the big day but he was so happy on the way home. He felt included, able to be "one of the blokes". Not something that happens a lot these days. Like other caregivers I am thankful when we just have the kind of quiet enjoyable day that we would have taken for granted before Ray's strokes.