Hello, God. It's me, Mara.

You know, Lord, it's been quite some years ago, but turning the calendar page was a reminder of that special time we traveled with a tour group to Sydney, Australia - it was winter up north where we started but they were coming into summer down south.

Crossing the International Date Line is unique: skipping a day and going down and having two Thursdays coming back. Temperatures there were around 80 degrees, flowers blooming and the beach teaming with folks in all sorts of attire (or none at all since it was a new nude beach!]

Food was interesting - especially pavlova, a dessert! One gal insisted she would never eat mutton, but as we passed a small food stand, tantalizing smells enticed us to order a sample as we four munched the lusciousness, one stepped back to prove what the meat was, yup - it was mutton. Much later, "Claire" was asked how she like the mutton. She was aghast - she could not believe she'd eaten mutton and didn't know it.

Then Christmas music seemed out of place in the heat. We sing about the three kings. They sing about the three drovers. Wish you could hear the Australian Christmas Carol[1]! The text is:

"Across the plains one Christmas night

"Three drovers riding blithe and gay,

"Looked up and saw a starry light

"More radiant than the Milky Way;

"And on their hearts such wonder fell,

"They sang with joy. 'Noel! Noel! Noel! Noel! Noel!'

"The air was dry with summer heat,

"And smoke was on the yellow moon;

"But from the heavens, faint and sweet,

"Came floating down a wond'rous tune;

"And as they heard, they sang full well

"Those drovers three. 'Noel! Noel! Noel! Noel! Noel!'

"The black swans flew across the sky,

"The wild dog called across the plain,

"The starry lustre blazed on high,

"Still echoed on the heavenly strain;

"And still they sang, 'Noel! Noel!'

"Those drovers three. 'Noel! Noel! Noel! Noel! Noel!"

Thank you, Lord.

Love, Mara

(1) "The Three Drovers" song: Choir is the Sydney Philharmonic Motet Choir. Song composed in 1948 by John wheeler and William G. James.