05 August 2010

The rest of my story that dissapeared

Birthdays are an excuse to stretch out like a cat for an entire day. When my aunt came to visit last month, she left some dr pepper- which I brought with us on the road for q birthday treat. That and the ingredients for Thai coconut lime soup in the African bush.

I don't usually talk about presents, but this year I was so keenly aware of each of my children's personalities in their gifts. Avery, my deep poetic child, presented me with a beautiful stone she had found on the Namibian ocean. It had a large curve that I will put a gathering of tealight candles in and it will sparkle into long evenings reminding us of our beautiful time in Namibia, and creating space for new memories to grow. Harrison, from the time he was aware enough to give gifts with his heart, has chosen out strikingly unique pieces of jewlery to make me beautiful. Huge necklaces swathed in stones and beads...a Bracelet crafted from old typewriter keys ... His style is eclectic and quirky fancy and he is the reason I probably wear any jewlery at all. True to his heart, he gave me a chunky silver ring with a big swag of green fur peeking out from the middle. I think it's impala fur. I think it's fabulous.
Madyline, my dear girl has always had dreams bigger than she knows how to realize. She scheemes intricate plans and then can't settle for anything lesser- even if it means having nothing at all. I am certain that Billy bought the amazing pair of handmade zebra sandals we had found at a small craft stand and she presented me with. They are exquisite and will definately stand out in a crowd... Just like my Madyline.

And Billy, Billy who has always wished to make my dreams come true Billy has taken an extra few days to bring me to Chobe National Park in Botswana. Chobe, especially in the dry winter months, has the highest congregation of elephants in southern Africa. People book a year in advance to secure a campsite inside the park, and somehow, we drove in at the right moment and was awarded a spot someone had reserved but not arrived to fill- and we sit on this evening on the rivers edge watching two families of elephants meandering throuh the marshes in the evening sun. A hippo raises his head from the water to see if we are still here. Yes. For this night we are remembering how spoiled we truly are. It's not always easy , this life we live. It's not always filled with beautiful peace saturated sunsets in the wilderness. But it is always rich and full and good. Especially when we take time to sit and reflect on who we are and why we are in this space to begin with.

After this we take the downward turn toward joburg- toward home. I'm certain I'll be a bit scattered till we are out if Botswana and I have regular Internet access. Till then, goodnight from the edge of heaven.

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