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147 to 165 Days of Gratitude – Black Hawk Anniversary
Day 147 to 165 of 365 Days of Gratitude – Black Hawk Anniversary
It’s been 18 days since I last gave gratitude on this blog. I’ve been grateful for many things in those 18 days and most of them deal with my health and being alive. We should have gratitude for every day we wake and live on our beautiful planet Earth. Lots of people have come and gone since I’ve lived, and I ponder why some left this journey early, while others (such as my nana who lived till 94) stay longer than, perhaps, they would have liked. And, mostly why do some die so young?
Have gratitude when you can wake each morning and see a new sunrise.
I am melancholy about this, as during these days the anniversary of The Black Hawk Accident occurred. 18 of our finest men died in that tragic incident June 12th 1996. 15 were SAS soldiers and one of them was Corporal Brett Tombs, a dear school friend. Many Australians will remember when the two Black Hawks collided over Townsville and how we mourned as a nation when we heard of the tragedy.
I think of Brett and his family each year and wish he could still be here with Gaye (who I also went to school with) and their two children, watching them grow up. It’s one of those things that, even twenty years later, you still don’t quiet believe that it happened. It resonates with me further because two of my sons have been in the defence force (one did three tours of duty). The Black Hawk incident shows that even in peacetime, there is always danger of some kind protecting our country. RIP Brett Tombs and all the young men of The Black Hawk.
You can read this tear-jerking account from last year’s Courier Mail, featuring Brett’s daughter Giverny. Brett would have been so proud of her and his son, Josh. I am grateful for something through that, and that is that his children have wonderful uncles (Brett’s brothers) who love his children and do their utmost to fill some of Brett’s void for them. It’s poignant and bittersweet.
So, for these 18 days of gratitude, let’s just say I’m truly grateful that all my family are safe and that we are here.
Reflect on what you were doing on the day of The Black Hawk Accident 21 years ago.
Lest we forget.
Gratitude equals abundance so be grateful every day
Gratitude equals abundance on day 144 and 145 of 365 Days of Gratitude
Day 144 I drove towards the east and the new moon surprised me. It was a sliver of a moon that looked like a bright smile in the black sky. If that doesn’t make you smile what will. It was like the moon was saying to everyone on Earth, you’ve had a rough trot but there’s still lots to smile about. The moon for one, the stars for two, the fresh Autumn air for three, the kookaburras laughing in the still black trees, the clearing fog for five; and so on and so on (it’s endless). I say happy morning.
Then in the afternoon my brother, Brad called in to work and dropped off my bookmarks. He and his partner, Viki at Inky Graphix kindly printed, celloglazed and hole-punched them for me for free. I am so grateful for their support in my publishing venture. If you ever need printing just give them a call.
I’ve added my handmade tassels and they are now ready to send with any pre-orders.
Day 145 of 365 Days of Gratitude
Today I have approved the proof of The Zanzibar Moon, so now it’s officially a published book. I haven’t held it yet (that will be the most special moment) but it’s finalised and now available (it may take a few hours). My distributor will now have it available at various outlets like Booktopia, Fishpond, The Nile, James Bennett, ALS, Peter Pal and University Co-operative Bookshop (all in Australia and New Zealand) as well as Worldwide distributors such as Amazon. As soon as I have those links I’ll make them available.
I want to say a big thank you to all those people who have made production of The Zanzibar Moon possible. They include:
- Bevil, Kris, Elise, Joel, Emily, Blake, Larabella and Kru (my family are my biggest support).
- Mum and Dieter (Mum has never wavered in her belief of me as a writer).
- Brad, Colleen, Hayley, Brent and family.
- Karen, Darci, Wilson and family.
- Angie and Doug (for insight into marketability of my cover and other advice).
- Sue and John (for being awesome friends and holding my book launch).
- Christine (for always encouraging me and being almost more excited than me about the upcoming launch).
- Bec (for understanding my creative side because you have that too).
- Kerry, Barb, Tracy, Leesa & Emily (for reading, quoting or editing).
- Bruce and Sandra Rogers (who gave me the start at Zeus Publications so I could learn about the book publishing industry).
- Marilyn and Clive (Marilyn showed me how to line edit to improve my editing ability, and ultimately improve my writing).
- My Hammer Fit friends, who have kept up-to-date on the progress of my book and encouraged me throughout.
- Every person who has pre-ordered or show interest in buying The Zanzibar Moon.
- All the lovely people who re-post my posts and help me publicise The Zanzibar Moon including; Donna, Leanne, Helen, Lana and everyone else.
There’s more like;
- Umoja Orphanage Project Kenya’s founder Cathy Booth, who is a wonderful human being.
- Jacqueline at Lovely Silks Publishing for a wonderful collaboration and forming a writing friendship.
- Donna from AfriCat Foundation who gave me terrific advice about wildlife conservation.
- Lucy at The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and baby elephant Tundani.
- Anyone else who helped the process, including Rushelle at Ingram Spark. Thank you.
If I’ve forgotten anyone please let me know. I can always update this post and add you. My brain is a bit full of lots of ideas and plans so forgive me.
