Bigger than the universe...

Dear wonderful Community,?

I hope you are all well and had a lovely weekend. We have made it to the last week of Term1!?

Tonight’s blog is a personal one. I have always enjoyed writing and found it cathartic. As many of you know, I often find myself in tears – tears of happiness and sadness. Writing gives me an opportunity to distill how I am feeling, as I try to put words to what makes my heart beat. ?

Thank you for joining me this term and for your support. Perhaps you might also like to put words to the beating of your heart. It can certainly be something that helps your wellbeing to flourish.

If I had to choose a metaphor to represent my boys it would be the universe. Since the day that Jack was born I have been telling him… I love you bigger than the universe. And then I said it to Charlie. And then to Harry. And so, it is our thing.?

I love you bigger than the universe…

I love you bigger…

I love YOU bigger…

And so on.

There is so much I could write about here in terms of the power of language and for those of you who regularly read my blogs, about family folklore. But perhaps the point is that love is not always easy to articulate.?

I thought I could not feel love any more profoundly than when I held my first baby in my arms when he was born… I love you bigger than the universe.?

But then I realised that love begets love.?

I regularly hear parents say, “I just love this phase, I wish they could stay a newborn… toddler… in Kindy… forever” and I too have experienced moments that I wanted to last forever. But that is the thing about love. It is not meant to be just one moment. It is meant to be all the moments. Moments of joy, sadness, grief, gratitude, anger, excitement, disappointment, contentment, frustration, and hope.?

When my boys and I say, I love you bigger than the universe it is not really about size. Indeed, love is limitless and cannot be measured. It is about trying to find words to express what we are feeling and in doing so we have created a love language that has found its place in our family folklore.?

Thinking about using the universe to attempt to describe the love I feel for my boys has unexpectedly suited them perfectly.

Jack is the sun. The older he gets, the more he shines, and the more it hurts. He is warm and generous and inclusive, bringing others into the light. Watching him do this is simultaneously wonderful and painful as I know that his time at home with us, as our sun, is limited. And that is exactly the way it is supposed to be. Last week he turned 17 and got his P plates and then just a few days ago I had the honour of dancing with him at his Year 11 Ball. As much as I wanted this moment to last forever, I reminded myself that love begets love… There will be other moments – some shiny and some not so shiny – but all part of our universe of love with Jack as the sun.?

Charlie is the Earth. He is grounded, constant and reliable. He shows up every single day, for everyone. Resilient and honest and thoughtful, he is always there to support us. Just as the Earth does not need to be reminded to spin, Charlie is innately kind and fair and loves to be part of something larger than himself. His strengths of teamwork and humility are unique in a world that can be focused on superficiality and comparison. Charlie challenges what is wrong and will always stand up for what is right. It can be easy to forget the effort that it takes the Earth to rotate every day, as it is seemingly done so effortlessly. Yet it is vital for our very existence. This is Charlie – our planet Earth… Vital for our existence.?

Harry is a star. Quite simply he sparkles. But he is not just one star shining for himself, he is an entire constellation. Empathetic, considerate, and loving, Harry lends his light to others, bringing so much joy. Dancing, cartwheeling, laughing, baking choc-chip cookies, making presents for his friends, sobbing with me in the final episodes of Dance Academy Series 2 (if you know, you know!) Harry not only loves to entertain and please people, but he also genuinely wants to support them and make them happy. He sees goodness in everyone, and he is socially intelligent, knowing exactly when to share his sparkle with others. In the next school holidays Harry is performing in Hunter Drama’s show, The Jungle Book, and we will all be there basking in the afterglow of his sparkle.?

When my boys were born I could never have imagined what loving them would actually look like, sound like and feel like. And in some ways I still don’t… It is more than words…

It is bigger than the universe. ?

Wherever you are on your journey through the universe… newborns, toddlers, Kindergarten, Primary school, High School or perhaps you are starting to think about your darling children heading off on a new adventure into space, beyond school - I am with you. Love is about all the moments. They all matter. They are simultaneously wonderful and painful. And that is exactly the way it is meant to be.?

Please have a go at writing your own family metaphor or perhaps you could have a conversation around your dinner table. What is your version of the sun, the Earth and the stars? I'd love to hear from you so feel free to reach out and send me an email. I am always here.?

Thank you so much for your support this term. Wishing you a beautiful holiday with your loved ones. Please make time to enjoy one another and nourish your wellbeing. I really look forward to joining you again next term. I would also like to wish all the students and my lovely colleagues Mr Wheeler, Mrs Howe and Mr O’Neill all the best for their trip to Japan. They are taking 1000 NGS student-made paper cranes with them to the Children’s Peace Monument in Hiroshima as a gesture of peace, connection, harmony, and love.

“This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the World.”

I love you bigger than the universe.

Take care and sending love, Ms Marnie Thomas?