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18 years ago today, Chris & I landed in Sydney with our two sons aged 2 years & 10 weeks.
It was the last place we thought we wanted to be.
But, like caterpillars in chysalises, we were about to embark on our greatest adventure.
This homestead was our first Australian home.
It was the last place we thought we wanted to be.
But, like caterpillars in chysalises, we were about to embark on our greatest adventure.
This homestead was our first Australian home.
From Sydney we flew to Tamworrh and then on to Inverell in smaller and smaller planes. We balanced our bags in the seats of the last aircraft: a mail plane.
From the air we could see smoke and empty dams and thin cattle.
This is what our new home looked like, then.....
From the air we could see smoke and empty dams and thin cattle.
This is what our new home looked like, then.....
And every night for the first few weeks, we watched the Newstead hills burn.
It was almost Thanksgiving and nearly Advent.
I thought: I am about to get some real lessons in giving thanks and welcoming Christmas.
It was almost Thanksgiving and nearly Advent.
I thought: I am about to get some real lessons in giving thanks and welcoming Christmas.
Step by step, we learned.
We were welcomed as strangers into local hearts & homes & learned hospitality.
We received help to fight fires & learned mateship.
We found new love in our hearts & learned that inner peace is not based in outer circumstances.
We're still learning.
We were welcomed as strangers into local hearts & homes & learned hospitality.
We received help to fight fires & learned mateship.
We found new love in our hearts & learned that inner peace is not based in outer circumstances.
We're still learning.
We made friends and met guiding mentors.
And, on a day of heavenly rain, we welcomed one more treasure into our home.
And, on a day of heavenly rain, we welcomed one more treasure into our home.
We've seen seasons of drought and even more seasons of rain.
We've seen our land transformed from bare paddock to paradise.
We've seen our land transformed from bare paddock to paradise.
We've seen things end & begin & heartaches reconciled.
We look back & know that we were clumsy & slow to learn to love where we had been gifted to live.
But we're grateful. For all of it.
We look back & know that we were clumsy & slow to learn to love where we had been gifted to live.
But we're grateful. For all of it.
