A Farewell

On Sunday night, my girls and I headed off to the Jindera pool to say goodbye to one of the girls in Georgia's class.
We've known little A for two years, through preschool and kindergarten, and I recently began to get to know the whole family, and to call them friends.
I haven't got permission to post their photos, because I didn't ask, but I want to talk about them anyway.

When we arrived at the pool it was to find at least 50 people, of all ages, who were there to say their goodbyes.
This family had touched the hearts of many in the community through their constant volunteering and involvement in the school.

Talking to other parents, I heard my friend described as the 'Earth Mother' as well as a 'hippy woman' with so much affection and adoration I almost cried.

She is sweet and friendly, and will always greet people with a smile and kind words. I believe she always saw the inner beauty in people and in her way, helped them to see it too.

Her husband spoke a little about their past during his speech.They discovered, after dating for a short time, that both of their families were from Jindera. It was only natural for them to return and raise there three children here too. Many people at the farewell had known them through all the pregnancies, the home renovations and now their big move.

I watched and listened with a kind of detachment that only comes when you are witnessing something special.
The husband, a quiet and friendly man who would do anything for anyone, spoke about being welcomed into the community when they moved back. He said there was a wonderful spirit amongst the Jindera people that he had missed whilst living in the city. However many at the farewell believed that it was this family who brought the spirit with them, showed the community what it was like to be a family and brought everyone together. 
One can only hope to have such genuine people cross our paths. They are a family who will be truly missed.