Everything’s going to be alright – thanks to Mary Poppins

Everything’s going to be alright – thanks to Mary Poppins

By Karyn Baltestch

It’s all perfectly clear now.

Through the fog, the hail stones, the wind and the rain. I can see clearly what l need to do.

I can see the crossroads are not just saying one way.  How did this come about after weeks of confusion and turmoil within?  I will tell you a story and you can come to your own conclusion.

Once upon a time a little girl was wanting to go and see the latest movie at the drive-in theatre.  Holidaying with her grandparents, she knew there was a slight chance it may happen.

The carpet in her grandparents’ loungeroom was gold and so were the armchairs.  The glass crystal cabinet had many pretty things to look at and wonder where they came from. The 1960s décor was warm and appealing.  The little girl stood next to her nana, who was sitting in one of the cosy chairs, absorbed in her needlework. The little girl snuggled into Nana’s shoulder and whispered in her ear. She watched as the fine embroidered flowers were blooming onto the material stitch by stitch.  Her Nana gave her a loving smile, as if she knew she wanted something.

“Yes, dear? What would you like?” The child of six smiled her sweetly and, in almost a whisper, said, “Can we go to see Mary Poppins tonight?” She waited anxiously for the answer. “Well, why don’t you go over and ask Poppy?”

The thought of doing this meant the little girl had to speak loud and clear, this was her fear, but the encouragement she could hear from her Nan helped her get the words out.  Pop was not a mean man in any sort of way; she didn’t know why she was so shy to speak to him alone, without help. “Of course we can!”, was his cheery answer.

So, the grandparents drove to the Drive-In, with the little one in the middle sitting on a cushion between the two people she loved most of all in the whole wide world.  Mary Poppins stayed in the heart of the girl as she grew up with this happy memory.  The music and particularly the children in the movie fascinated her.  When she was alone, she would sing the songs, dance in the grass and the dandelions and dandelions and lived through the series of books from the local library about Jane and Michael Banks and their magical world. The End.

Almost 60 years later the child is a woman now with children and grandchildren of her own. Today she came home after a morning of tiring shopping and looked on her phone.

A text message said, “Mum! Go to your emails right now, there is a big surprise there for you.”

I rushed to the computer and opened the message; it was obviously a video as it had the arrow to click on. There was a picture of Mary Poppins and the two children. She pushed the arrow, and a voice came on as the picture moved aside.  She was hiding.  “Hello Karyn! You may not remember me but l my name is Karen also. Not spelt with a ‘y’ in the royalty way but just the plain old ‘e’. I heard from your son Kane that you grew up loving the movie Mary Poppins, especially the children. That makes me feel all sparkly.  I played Jane Banks in the original movie and Kane tells me you have been going through a very rough patch for some time now. He didn’t give me any details, but he described you as an incredibly loving and caring girl and in his words, which l only got to sing, but he got to say you are a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious MUM. Gentle and kind and adored by your family.  I want to tell you that l, myself, have been through a lot this year as well, and I think the thing that has kept me going is knowing that the family I love so much were created by me through the love I gave to them, and this is very special. The same is for you with your family. Now all your children want you to know how much they love you at this difficult time. I know what it is like when you just get through one thing and then there is another, but also l want you to tell yourself you are loved very much. That whatever is coming up for you soon even though it will be difficult, you are going to get through it. Mary Poppins is sitting up there on her cloud with her parrot and is saying, “Karyn, you are going to be alright; you are going to be ALRIGHT.” The love of your family and your love for them will get you through. I am going to take care of myself and so are you. I love you, Karyn. You can talk to me anytime you need to and l will be there. I love you!”

She left with a wave and blew me a kiss. The end.

The fog may not lift every time I expect it to, and the rain and wind may whip up a storm, but l am overwhelmed to the brim with love that my sons would do something like that.  Always expect the unexpected with Kane, but he is like the spokesperson, and I can see clearly now.

So grateful.

 

About Karyn – and June’s Writing Clan

Karyn is a member of June’s Writing Clan which gathers weekly at the Leopold Community Hub on the Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria. Clan members inspire and motivate each other through participating in weekly writing warm-ups and through sharing progress on their main writing projects – both fiction and non-fiction.