In honour of Christmas, I'm going to call her Mary.
There have been some amazing women named Mary throughout millennia. The Virgin Mary, anointed as the Mother of Jesus, is also known as Maryam in the Koran. Mary Magdalene was one of the first devoted followers of Jesus. She may or may not have been a prostitute and there is mention of demons cast out of her body by Jesus.
Other notables named Mary include Mary I of England (also known, perhaps unfairly as Bloody Mary), Mary Queen of Scots (who lost her head on the orders of her cousin Elizabeth I), Mary of Teck (grandmother of Elizabeth II) and Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark (not bad for a girl from Tasmania).
Mary also pops up as rivers, geographical areas, boats, authors, movies, books and drinks. "Proud Mary" is one of those fabulous songs that I absolutely adore.
Back to my unexpected guest in the Gallery, Mary. A pretty, petite young woman on her own is a fairly rare and unusual occurance, especially in the late afternoon of a hot, lazy Wheatbelt day. She also appeared to be quite reserved and shy. I had just finished playing the Ten Tenors' Christmas CD for the umpteenth time. I remarked that I would have to stab myself in the eye if I listened to any more Christmas Carols. Mary gave me an enigmatic glance and responded quite matter-of-factly, "That's good. I hate Christmas".
My interest in her immediately rose a notch or two. Here was a girl with a story. I allowed her some space to wander around the Gallery at her leisure. And wander she did. Mary seemed entranced by our Gallery and I was entranced by her. I offered her a cup of tea, which she politely declined.
Eventually, she approached me with one of Mandy Evans' wildflower cards. What followed was a comedy of errors that completely disarmed both of us. She had arrived with very little money. EFTPOS was malfunctioning. After several attempts with the recalcitrant terminal, I gave up. Mary had scoured the interior of her purse and had scraped together just over six dollars for a seven dollar card. I accepted her coinage and left her with about twenty-five cents.
She was also enchanted by Brian Aylward's "Beach Track". The price wasn't an issue. After I had complimented her exquisite taste. she asked me to hold the painting for her until February. So, we sat together at my desk whilst I wrote her an invoice and gathered her other details. And our conversation began to flow.
Mary's dislike of Christmas was explained. Coming out as gay when she was sixteen, her family deserted her. So she had no immediate family with whom to celebrate. I was stunned. How could this lively, articulate and intelligent young woman have been disowned by her family? I was disgusted by their attitude.
A career nurse, Mary had created her own family by having her daughter. As she spoke of her little girl, on holiday in the Eastern States with her Dad (Mary's best friend) and his family, my admiration of Mary grew. And astonishment at the experiences she was offering her daughter. They had spent the previous winter backpacking through Iceland and Scandinavia. They had visited Santa's Village and had Christmas in Copenhagen. Her daughter was four at the time. And her memories of this trip were still intact. I was spellbound.
Mary's spirit carried her through every day; all those joyous or difficult or lonely or adventurous or frustrating or satisfying or loving times. In Mary, I had found another daughter to love. I am determined that she will not spend another Christmas on her own. If she so chooses, our house is open to her and her little girl to share happiness rather than sadness.
Keep flying Mary. Be free.
For Mary -
Perhaps an alternative view of your family to consider at times of lonliness...
And, in honour of Mary working night shift on Christmas Eve...
Remember to keep chasing these!
and embrace this...
Finally, a Christmas Carol I hope you will enjoy!
and my personal New Year's resolution for 2018...
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