This was my second year at BMC. Again, it was an exprience I will never forget and one I will always treasure. We arrived on Friday and unpacked the truck with all the activities and equipment for the next 5 days. Students, therapists and families started to arrive so we showed them around and settled into our rooms. I was expecting it to be quite cold so each night since we were up near Mt Baw Baw, so I put the heater on in my room so it was warm and toasty when I went to bed at night. It didn’t get too cold at all but the cosy room each night was good.
I had a group of 3 girls and 1 boy who all had cerebral palsy. They all had wheelchairs but some of them used walkers or walked independently for short distances. They were aged between 5-8 years. We also had 3 student speech pathologists (some came from Queensland and some from Victoria). It would be fair to say that the kids melted our hearts. They were little legends with their devices and had the best smiles and laughs. One little boy was also a Richmond Tigers supporter like me.
Our theme for camp was Christmas. So over the 5 days we had Christmas Dinner, a boxing day test. sleigh racing (using the kids wheelchairs and walkers) and lots of art n craft using christmassy decorations. On the final night we had the traditional concert. Our group did the 12 days of Christmas old and new which included nativity scenes and modern tree decorating and Santa. I was a Christmas pudding that danced (had my brown doona suit on which was rather toasty and achived the look I wanted cause I go so hot my head was red like the cherry on the top of a pudding. Ha ha.
It’s really hard to put into words what the experience is like. I just loved hanging out with the kids. Communicating with them and their families. It was great to mix with other speechies and the students.
Some fond memories I will treasure:
- one little girl learning my name VERY quickly and calling me and grabbing my hand
- another teen kissing my hand when we said our farewells
- high fives with the young man in our group
- imaginary kicking the footy around on the oval with the Richmon fan
- someone joking with me about my name and writing “cha-grill” on their device
- hugs from parents as they left
- chats by the fire at night
- dancing on the disco floor with everyone
- laughs at the concert
- making mexican waves as we particpated in the Boxing Day test and trying to get some Barmy Army like chants going
- something that wasn’t rain and some thought was snow, others thought was sleet falling on the last day…whatever it was, I hadn’t seen anything like it - it was cool!
Oh it was sooooooo good. Unfortunately I won’t be able to post photos here but at a later date I may be able to direct you to a website. Stay tuned!
One of my friends posted about a daily devotional on her blog
Today’s reading is about something I have been focussing a bit on lately. It came up in our Kids ALive program a few weeks ago. I was really challenged. I love it when God speaks to me when I least expect it. We were talking about Daniel and how he made the choice to serve God. He decided not to eat what everyone else ate or do what everyone else did. He didn’t go with peer pressure.
As I listened I was thinking about my morning devotional time that had been severely lacking. Instead I made choices to go to the gym, play around on facebook or do anything but read the word and pray. It’s funny how I often make that choice BUT when I make the right choice to serve God and spend time with Him I know it’s better, it feels better, it JUST IS better.
Here’s some more interesting stuff in the devotional I read today that reinforces what I have been thinking…
The Bible teaches that anything we think is more important than God is a false god to us. It can be anything – TV, school, friends, games, or a musical instrument. If we are so busy with those things that we are not spending time with God, then we are worshipping a false god.
We know that God is the best God, because He is the only true God. The gods many people worship cannot help or even hear their worshippers. But your God hears you and helps you every day, even if you don’t see His help.
God is the best choice. Joshua told his army to choose whom they were going to serve: the false gods of the land or the true God. You have to make that same choice each day. Who are you going to serve? God is the best choice.
God is best.
I was thinking this morning that there are several new sounds in my new Melbourne life. And along with a sound comes memories and meaning….usually. I thought I would describe a few new sounds. Some bring good thoughts and feelings and some bring angst!
1) Refrigerator
In our shoebox we have a fridge that makes all sorts of strange noises and most of the time they are in the middle of the night. Since I can sleep through most things, or go back to sleep, it’s not been a concern of mine.
2) Smoke Alarm
It’s probably not news to most people that this shoebox has an alarm that goes off, goes LOUD and goes forever when there is no burnt food. I am not that bad a cook, really! So apparently it’s related to vapours produced from the foods. So toast must give off a good vapour cause that sets it off every time. But burnt crumpets don’t. Anyway, the alarm is one thing among many that I will not miss after leaving this apartment we have been in for a year.
3) Tram bell
I love the trams. That’s no secret. I love the bell. I think tram drivers become tram drivers so they can ring that bell whenever they please. I can sometimes hear it faintly from our shoebox as we have a tram line along our street which is so very handy. We will have one nearby at the new apartment too. Anyway, tram bells can go for many reasons:
- get out of my way people
- trams coming, beware
- move, youstupid car on MY tracks!
- don’t you love my tram? hear me roar (ding)
4) Train crossing
The train crossings here have a different sounding bell. I can’t describe it, but it seems more high pitched, faster and more electronic sounding. I prefer the Perth train crossing sound to be honest. But the sound here reminds me of the gym I used to go to that was right on the train line. The sound was frequent because the trains were frequent.
5) Work Phone
I think I hear the sound of the work phone in my sleep! I can tell when the phone in my office will ring because I get a precursor sound in Jane’s office. It’s a funny sound. We can’t change it so I better not get annoyed with it eh?
6) Birds
There are loads more birds around the city in Melbourne. They hang around in the restaurants and cafes. You can hear them chirping up in the trees as you are parked at the traffic lights. I love the sound of birds.
Perhaps it is a sad thing to write about sounds? I think sounds are under-rated. We talk about what we see more often and sometimes sounds can produce strong feelings and memories both good and bad. So there are a few of my sound stories. What do you hear?
Lately I have come to wonder if I have a friendly face or seem really approachable. Whenever I wander into the city I can guarentee that someone will ask me if I have some spare change for them. Once I said to the guy I would buy him some food and got him a burger, but most times I say I don’t have change. And usually I don’t have change but on rare occasions I am feeling torn because I do actaully have change, I just don’t want to hand it out to feed someone’s addictions…it’s most likely (sad to say). I am wondering if I shoukd carry around chocolate bars that I can hand out when I am asked for change??
Today, I was waiting outside church for Mic to pick me up and a man was standing nearby eating a sausage roll from the church cafe. He was tall, with dark long hair and a big long black coat. He struck up a conversation with me and told me he wondered why God had made him have a hard 20 years. He explained that he used to be a professional sportsman and musician. I said maybe God had better plans and he retorted “but I liked the old plan and what I was doing!” He also added that he had mental illness and was feeling lost inside. I asked him if he talked to God and he said “no not really”. And he said “this is a really powerful church”. He had a welcome pack so I know he had been in the service. We exchanged names and he said “I might see you next week when I come again”.
I love that I can have interesting conversations like that out the front of church. This guy was looking for God. He was confused but could see that the church was welcoming and somewhere he could come back to. As he wandered back inside, I prayed for him. At the time of our chat, I felt a bit hopeless with having any great answers for him but he seemed to like to chat. God bless you Nathan! I pray you find your answers in God.
So while my wonderful husband goes to the shop to get bread for toast, I thought I’d have time for a quick blog entry. My absence from blogging reveals one or more of the following things:
1) I am just terrible at blogging updates
2) Life was too boring to write about
3) Life was too busy
4) I didn’t prioritise this blog and facebook came first (again)
5) An alien came and prevented me from writing
Truthfully it was a combination of 3 and 4.
So in a nutshell….as if I could write in a nutshell. Never thought about that phrase before. Nutshells are tiny. I’d only fit in one or two words with the size of my handwriting!
Anyway, here’s a snapshot of life in Melbs since Moomba:
- busy busy busy at work with online training sessions for groovy educational, learning disability software and writing my presentations for upcoming conferences in admidst responding to emails and phonecalls for tech support
- continuing the trust-God-patience-building quest for an apartment to live in but we may have something lined up for a “private sale” today….yes I said private sale….amazing, in this Melbourne world of auctions. If something comes of this, I will give you the full story.
- had a holiday in Perth visiting family (who had gastro!), friends and enjoyed the brilliant weather and easter chocolate
- had a crash in my car yesterday. Some lady decided she didn’t know how to drive in wet weather and didn’t brake soon enough. I could see her coming in the rearview mirror and was ready for the BANG! Surprised how shaky I was afterwards and the immediacy of a headache and neckache. My boss sent me home to rest which wasn’t what I needed with so much to do. My car is in getting a quote for repairs.
Wonderful husband has returned with no breakfast goods as it is ANZAC day and ooops the shops are shut right now. Cereal for breakfast it will have to be. Bleugh!