Down at the Farm: A loving family and a snow possum ..

By wednesday afternoon, when the sun had come out and we found ourselves down by the river on the rolling hill (so named as it's .. great to roll down) the children decided they really wanted me in the game they were playing and assigned me the honored place of, 'Baby'.

I was asked to lie down and close my eyes and to go to sleep. Which of course I did, soft grass, gentle sun, great company, it wasn't such a bad thing to be doing at all.

Pepper immediately sat beside me, looking into my face with her little arm across my belly, patting and told me, 'I'm your mum.' Harvey piped up and said, ' .. and I'm your brother.' Finn became dad, a role he loves to play and Omkara my 'seester'. His little spanish accent lilting as he announced, 'Ay'm nought your brudder, Ay'm your seester.' .. and he inseested.

Agnes who hasn't been well, lounged beside me quietly in the sun, we'd spread jackets on the ground for her and she lolled gently in the sun soaking everything in like a great big tonic. Gentle and ever so sweet with us all, she was the quietest sister of all.

As we played, I was placed central to the game, everyone went about their function always coming back to see if the baby was ok and to make sure that I was fed, or not in need, or just to look at me.

I let myself be a talking baby, which no one seemed to mind. It was my way to keep affirming what was good in everyone ... and they were all being incredibly gorgeous with their baby.

While Pepper looked on in adoration, 'I've got the best mum in the whole world.'

She did a little, 'Uh' smiled and said, 'I know'.

I told Harvey I loved having him as a brother, 'Gweat baby, I love you too.'

To Finn, 'You are the greatest Dad.' He smiled twirled round and spun off to some fatherly duty he had going on. Which is so Finn, he often takes delight and takes flight with it.

Omkara, was very gorgeous, he sat alongside me for a while being very gentle and sweet and loved that I acknowledged him as my 'seester'.

As he'd been getting more and more comfortable with his english expression, he'd often ask in his spanish lilt, about gender when talking, 'Ees dat a brudder or seeter .. ? Ees dat a a boy or a girl ..? and he'd play around with he/she, him/her as he was sorting out in his own little mind how it all worked speaking english.

The other children would answer, offer, correct for him and today when he took on the seester role, he was very definite that this was the role he wanted, not some muddle over words that happened between spanish thinking and english speaking.

After all the affirming, everyone feeling good about themselves and what they were giving to the game, I lay quiet and let them all play ..

Harvey came up to me at one point and said, 'Baby, I'm going out to get you a .. .. snow possum!'

.. and off he went.

He came back with his little hands curled and ever so gently lay the possum next to me. We made a little nest so it would feel warm and safe.

He seemed in love with knowing he loved his baby sister so much that he would go and find the rarest of creatures just for me.

Finn immediately jumped in and put his hand in the nest to get the possum.

What a tetchy moment.

Harvey fires at Finn, 'No Finn, it's for the baby.'

Finn, replies, 'I'm putting it in a tree.'

Harvey getting upset, 'No! Don't take it, I got it for the baby.'

Finn coming back, 'I know Harvey, but it's a native creature and it's best for native animals to be in the environment, come and we'll find it a tree.'

RELIEF flooded Harvey and he replied so simply, 'Oh.hh...that's good, sure let's go.'

Finn was totally tuned in from afar to what was happening with baby, waited only til he couldn't cope anymore with the possum being nested, swooped in to do what he knew in his own heart was best, was drawn out by Harvey standing his ground, to express what that was ...

The most exquisite moment of natural teaching and learning and willingness to hear and care and trust between those two boys ... it affected me immensely ...