I am that Blind Man too...One Woman's Story (part II)

CHAPTER ONE…....In the beginning….

In the beginning there was a baby and the baby was with God…
Yes, I know; this is a garbled version of the beginning of the Bible. But it is intentional & without irreverence, merely a way of introducing a story in which God is deeply involved. For I was that baby. And God was most surely with me from the very beginning.

I was my parents’ first and very much longed for child. It has long been a family joke that the day I was born mum and dad actually received something most parents never receive – official written notification that they were ‘approved parents’! A year earlier, at their doctor’s suggestion, they had put in adoption papers to ease the tension and stress of trying to start a family, seemingly without success.

The psychological ‘trick’ obviously worked as a year later I was born into a wonderful, close and loving family in the small rural town of Murwillumbah on the far north coast of New South Wales, Australia. And, I had the privilege of having ‘approved’ parents!
However, I only remember wonderful summer holidays there as, at two and a half we headed south to the city – to Sydney – so my father could study for his Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Economics at Sydney University.

Earliest memories of my childhood are of joyous carefree days of sunshine and laughter: playing in the backyard making cubbies out of oak tree prunings, screaming when I found a ‘dragon’ on our red front path one morning (a goanna). Adventures and picnics in the wonderful wilderness of Ryde National Park or in parks by the river; teetering on tin can stilts down the driveway with my little sister to meet the sewing man who brought large mysterious cardboard boxes of sewing for mummy. Our lovely grey kitten ‘Winky’, rescued from the University who turned a surprising white when we washed him. Walking up the hill from school to see my little sister Elizabeth running down to meet me, calling out “Jan Jan!!”

Another vivid moment was of me sticking a piece of the strictly forbidden chewing gum on the lid of the un-openable garbage tin, then immediately sitting on top of it when I heard footsteps coming. And then there was the day when I got all dressed up to go to my dad’s graduation ceremony at the University, watching from high up in the ‘cathedral’ hall. Even at the young age of eight I was very proud of him & felt exceedingly centre-of-attention important standing next to him while the photos were taken.

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approved, baby, beginning, carefree, childhood, christian, happy, laughter, memories, moved, murwillumbah, parents, playing and sydney