The Greatest Joy

I knew this week was going to be big.

Monday the 22nd seems so long ago. I had a full day at work, visiting over 15 trainees for their Frontline Management training. I have a good job. I am so grateful for it. But on Monday I was wishing I didn’t have to work because of the enormous assignment I had to complete. The day went well and I arrived home from work at around 5.30pm. After a brief catch-up with the family I left for uni.

Dinner Monday night was eaten in front of the computer at uni. I arrived just after 6pm and snacked on chocolate liquorice bullets while I worked. Hardly nutritious, but very quick and convenient!

It was close to 1am Tuesday morning when I finally turned the computer off and headed for home. My day was almost done. Kylie had left some dinner in the fridge for me which I enjoyed, before going to bed around 1.30am. It was one of the biggest days I have had to do since being a student, and it came in the last week of my degree! But it felt great to finally complete the assessment on Tuesday evening and prepare it for handing in, on time.

Wednesday I drove to Ipswich and ran a Frontline Management training course for 10 trainees, then handed in my assignment at uni. My last one! That felt good. All I have to do now is prepare for my final exam in mid-November and it is all finished. Wednesday arvo was pretty simple. Mowing, cleaning, and getting ready for the weekend. I was really looking forward to Thursday though.

Chanel had been looking forward to Thursday more than me. We were going to Wet ‘n Wild, a theme park with huge waterslides to ride all day. Chanel had won our tickets by raising more money for her school spell-a-thon fundraising efforts than anyone else. We arrived just after 10am. The crowd was small. It was a perfect, sunny day. Chanel looked nervous about the rides. We went on a couple of smaller ones which Chanel decided were “boring”. So we headed for the big ones. Chanel was barely tall enough to get beyond the height restrictions, but barely tall enough was enough.

Tornado, Mach 5, Jet Stream and Black Hole were the names of the rides. They were big, and I was certain that Chanel would not want to go near them. To the contrary, it seemed that the bigger and more thrill-filled the ride, the more likely it was that Chanel wanted to go on it. In fact, Chanel enjoyed some of the thrill rides more than me!

Because the crowd was small we didn’t have to line up long for rides. In fact, most of the time we were able to get straight on. This would normally be terrific, but at Wet ‘n Wild I have to wonder. Every ride requires that the rider climb stairs – hundreds of stairs! I would be understating, quite conservatively, if I suggested that we climbed 10 000 stairs on Thursday. But the rides were fun, and Chanel was in her element. By the time we got to 1pm I was in pain. My legs have not worked so hard in over a decade! I loved theme parks as a child, and I never remember coming home thinking, “Gee that was fun, but wow my legs are sore.” Aging changes our perspective a little.

By the time Chanel and I walked out of the park, at 5pm, we were both in pain. We had walked miles, climbed thousands of stairs, and been in the heat all day. We had had enormous fun. But we couldn’t walk. I was suffering from chafing, and sore feet and legs. Chanel was in tears, unable to walk because her legs were so exhausted. It was wonderfully funny!

Friday was busy, preparing for the weekend and doing some work as well. We went to the chapel to set things up for Saturday, and tried to get some sleep in preparation for the big day.

Saturday – Chanel’s baptism…

The day started early as Kylie and I prepared food for the expected 150 people at the baptism. Family photos were scheduled at Wynnum, by the bay, at 10am (I’ll post them when they arrive). The morning was perfect. As I drove to the designated place I got a call from my parents. My whole family was at Brisbane airport, having just flown in, and were unable to hire a car. For some reason the rental companies were all out of cars. I spent the next 20 minutes frantically trying to get them cars, and eventually succeeded.

Photos went well. Everyone was happy until the end. Two hours in thirty degree heat by the bay, with sun reflecting off water, had the children tired out – and sunburnt. But I think they’ll come out nicely.

We enjoyed delicious fish and chips for lunch, and then went to the chapel for the baptismal service.

Highlights:

Chanel and her best friend Brittany sang a church song, “I like my birthdays.”
Kylie gave a beautiful talk
Dad and Karina sang a church song, “How will they know”. Very special.
The baptism itself was special
Wonderful friends who came and participated
Family and friends who travelled great distances to share our special day

The greatest highlight, for me, occurred as the final hymn was sung during the service. We were singing “I am a child of God”, sitting in the front row of the chapel. I looked at Chanel, singing sweetly. She smiled at me as we sang. I told her, “You look happy Chanel.” Her eyes filled with tears and she stopped singing. Then she gently nodded her head and smiled. Chanel was happy. And that is the greatest joy that I can ever feel.

I love that little girl.