As we all know only too well, life and time keep moving, but I did not stop feeding my inspiration. I cherished those moments I could sit and read about people who moved to the country and took those brave steps, those who always lived there and created incredible lives for their families. The kids who grew up with nature always by their side, on the farm, in the waterholes, covered in mud, collecting eggs and riding horses.
Somehow the timing was not to be my decision, in March the following year my husband was admitted to hospital in what became a very dark time for our family. The man who was my husband, my rock, my laughter, my joy, my best friend, was no longer the man he used to be.
It was during this time that a friendship developed to such incredible depth with two beautiful friends, they like two angels dropped everything to be by my side, the most selfless act of support at a time when our family needed it most. They gave everything, they moved in, they took over and allowed me time to work my way through the unrelenting daily challenges. When I couldn’t be there for my darling husband, they were there for him with cuddles, with time to listen and with home cooked food. Our friendship changed overnight, never would I have ever imagined where I would’ve been without them. We had many long nights of chat, and over those many weeks of tears and sadness we had an understanding of each other that only comes from experiencing such an event in life together.
I watched our life change overnight, it was the beginning of what was to be a long list of ‘goodbyes’. Goodbye to my family, goodbye to the amazing friends we had grown up with all our lives, goodbye to the dream home we had built, goodbye to the business we built over 15 years, goodbye to the school we thought our daughters would graduate from, it was to be the end of our time in the only city I had ever lived – Sydney.
As she watched me collapse on the floor in a heap crying, she knew my pain as all mother’s do, it was time to decide for my family which road was I going to take. No sooner was the question posed, an incredible rush came over me, a feeling of relief and clarity, ‘the farm’ I said. “I want to build a cooking school, I want to do something that means something, a place where people can get back in touch with the land, with food and their soul.’ A place where I knew my darling husband would heal. Her words I will never forget, “Hold onto that dream, and don’t stop till you get there, your going to need it to get through.”
So, I began putting the plan in motion, I found a country school for my girls, July 1 was the date, and everything was set to that clock. The house went on the market, the removal trucks were booked, and I broke the news to my friends.
What came next… click to read more
Comments