Friday, February 15, 2008

Natural abundance

Nature indifferent? Not in the least; it's just got priorities.

Fifty years ago this week, Mackay, sugar cane metropolis of Australia, was hit was one of its worst floods ever. My mother, 9 months pregnant, moved to a house on higher stilts than ours, and my grandfather rowed a boat down the street to help my father stack the furniture high. The floodwaters came to within 2 inches of the floorboards, and then receded in time for my mother to walk across the sodden earth of her front garden with her firstborn.

And now, in the very same week 50 years later, her firstborn finds this photo of Mackay.


Once again, Nature showers her gifts with excess. She just hasn't realised that he has moved.

2 comments:

Vanny said...

A rather tortuous way to reveal your age mate. You could have just said: "Am turning 50 this week. Don't accept presents, just cash. Here's my PayPal ID".

NoolaBeulah said...

In my defence, I had just received an email from my mother to remind me of that ancient flood, and to point out that it was happening again. And I saw the photo and had that image of my grandfather (who I adored) rowing down the street, and thought it was too good not to post.

Now, about the cash,...