For many years now I have kept a journal. It is a private thing, not for sharing, and records my daily musings, rants, quirks and amusements. I don’t write in it every day, but when I do, I usually include a section for things I am grateful for, like the ‘wagging tale’ of our puppy that I have mentioned before. It is a simple process that grounds me and puts life’s priorities in their right order.
This past week I have again included two things for which I have been grateful many times in the past. The first is my involvement with Tutti, a choir of mixed abilities associated with Minda. Many of the choir members have severe physical and mental challenges, and you could be forgiven for assuming that my gratefulness is for not being in their position. But you would be wrong.
My gratefulness is for the opportunity to spend time with these amazing people. This includes the helpers, volunteers, the Tutti team and my fellow able-bodied and minded choir members, but I reserve special mention for those choir members who face challenges every day that would bring most of us to our knees.
They arrive by themselves as well as in the care and support of others, from a diverse range of backgrounds and all of them with individual tales of hardship and sadness, resilience and triumph against adversity. But they will not tell them, not here, not in this place where they join us to make the music that has raised audiences to their feet with clapping hands and tears in their eyes. Here they are performers, just like the rest of us, and they need to learn their lines and get their timing just right.
When I joined Tutti, several years ago now, I had been singing with a ‘normal’ choir in Port Adelaide for a couple of years, and it was confronting at first. At least, it was for about the first 5 minutes, and then we began to sing, and this disparate group, drawn together from all quarters, came together with one unified purpose. By the end of the evening I was hooked, and it is now a highlight of my week, complete escapism. And so I am grateful, for their company, for their inspiration and for the opportunity to be part of something that creates happiness.
My second gratitude is for my lovely Helen, who I have been delivering library books to as a volunteer for more than 6 years. In that time we have shared our loves of reading, travel and teaching, laughed and cried together as we talked through our lives, loves and experiences. Helen has been the grandmother I never knew, and I like to think that I have added something to her retirement.
Sadly, Helen passed away suddenly last week at the age of 93. I was, and am, bereft, suddenly cut off from someone who has been such an important part of my life. Mark and I had been away for the weekend, and by the time I heard the news, her room had been cleared and someone new had taken residence. Even her library books had been cleared away, and no one knows where they went.
Thankfully, within days Helen’s daughter had called me. We had a long and heartfelt chat, and she shared with me how much my visits meant to her Mother.
These days, surrounded by all that money can buy, we can lose sight of what is important. Singing with Tutti and volunteering with Helen are entirely selfish acts; I have gained far more from them than I could possibly give. My perspective on life, my sense of what is really valuable, my awareness of the fragility of our existence, my willingness to forgive others, all of these are directly influenced by my contact with these wonderful people.
Okay, long story short, this piece is about education, but in the broadest possible sense. It is about getting out there and doing something different that has real value. Try it, encourage your children to try it. No matter how small it may seem, the personal impact can be extraordinary. Please share your stories with us, we would love to hear from you. Enjoy your week.