Today is going to be a great day

Rosa in one of her reflective moods

The alarm sounded. Rosa opened her eyes slowly and smiled. The sun was shining through her window, warming up her bedroom nicely. She looked over at the cot where her baby sister, Brenda, was sleeping on her stomach and took a deep breath letting it out slowly. She then threw off her sheet, sat up, abruptly clapped her wings and shouted, “Today will be a great day! I am a gift from God!”

Brenda jumped, turned over and groaned, but smiled when she saw her sister sitting up in bed. But then their bedroom door opened. An out of breath Sybil poked her head around the corner and first looked at Brenda and then at Rosa. “What was that noise?” she asked. “Nothing,” replied Rosa, believing what she had said out loudly wasn’t noise, but words of inspiration which would alter her day.

Sybil wasn’t convinced. “Yes, there was noise. It sounded like you, Rosa, were shouting something.”

“Oh that, mummy,” she replied, “those were words of, of, of, good stuff.” She was not quite able to pronounce the word ‘inspiration.’

“Well, if they were words of inspiration, then all I can say is that they managed to give your father and me heart attacks. Please don’t do that again!”

The door opened a little wider and George pushed past Sybil carefully and went into the room. Brenda immediately jumped up and began to squeal with delight at seeing her father. Sybil rolled her eyes and left the room in a huff. George went over and gave Brenda a peck on the cheek, which made Rosa feel slightly jealous because she thought her youngest sister had usurped her position in the family. Sensing that, George immediately went over and hugged Rosa extra hard, which pleased her immensely.

“Well,” George said as he sat down on Rosa’s bed, “what your mother was saying in her own way was that when we wake up in the morning, we like to do it gently. I get your mother and I our coffee and we drink it in bed together holding wings. We aren’t used to the clapping of wings or words shouted out while the alarm is still ringing.”

“I’m sorry daddy,” replied Rosa looking down at her sheet, “but I was trying something new. Elizabeth recently read a book about being the best you can be and in it was written that the first thing you should do when you wake up, is clap your wings and say out loudly, ‘today is going to be a great day and I am a gift from God!’”

“That’s beautiful,” replied George, a little overwhelmed by what his daughter had said. “It’s just that it sounded like shouting from our room. I think that once your mummy understands what you said, she will think differently.”

“No, George, I won’t.” Sybil had poked her head around the door and then added, “Are you going to make the coffee, or should I?” Meaning, do you want me to do your job for you?

“But Sybil dear, don’t you think that’s wonderful what Rosa said. I think we should try it ourselves.”

“If you do,” replied Sybil not amused, “then I will insist you spend the nights in the spare room. Anyway, where did you get that idea from?”

“Elizabeth……”

“I should’ve known,” interrupted Sybil, “I will have to talk to her about this.”

“Talk to me about what?” Elizabeth made her appearance, “I just heard my name called while I was on my way to meet Pawo for hatha yoga.”

Sybil rolled her eyes. “Why me?” she asked looking at George, “Well, what is it to be?”

“I’ll make the coffee, darling,” replied George smiling at Rosa and Brenda in turn.

Elizabeth was standing next to Rosa and waved at Brenda. She still was not quite sure what to make of her new niece.

“So, what’s all this about?” she asked her cousin and Sybil answered.

“Rosa just woke up the entire nest by clapping her wings and shouting today is great or something like that.”

Elizabeth laughed. “Oh, Rosa, that’s lovely. But I’m sure it wasn’t the words your mother just said.”

“No aunty. They were what you taught me. ‘Today will be a great day, and I am a gift from God.”

“Yes! Yes! yes!” Elizabeth was ecstatic. She jumped up and down, she couldn’t contain herself. “Did you say it as well?” she asked Brenda.

Sybil scolded Elizabeth. “Brenda can’t talk yet. You forget she’s only a few weeks old.” Elizabeth laughed and waved to everyone. “I better go out there otherwise Pawo will wonder where I am.” Just as she was walking out she stopped, turned, and said, “Rosa dear, would you like to join us? After all, those words you said are only half of the story. “

Rosa shook her head and Elizabeth left without saying another word. “Coffee’s ready!” shouted George as he walked past the door and Sybil turned silently, closed the door behind her and left Brenda and Rosa alone. Brenda lay down again after she blew her sister a kiss and fell back to sleep in no time.

Rosa looked at her sister and sighed. She could remember back to when she was a few weeks old. It seemed like so long ago, and now she has a younger sister. She was no longer the youngest of the family. At first, she was jealous of Brenda, but now that the two of them shared a room, it appeared Brenda loved her elder sister, so she wasn’t jealous that often. Only when her father kissed Brenda good morning before her.

Rosa knew it wasn’t time for her to get up just yet, even though it was a school day. So, she fluffed up her feather pillow and laid back down again. She looked out over at the ocean and at the sun rising higher in the sky. She then looked at Brenda who was back on her stomach in a deep sleep, drooling on her pillow. She looked all around her room at the pictures on the walls that she herself had drawn over the years, and then back down at her feet as she scrunched her toes and smiled.

Rosa closed her eyes and was about to fall back to sleep when she heard a knock on her door and in walked Julia. “It’s a school day Rosa, you can’t fall back to sleep.”

Rosa opened her eyes and looked at Julia. “Did I wake you up?” she asked.

“No,” replied Julia, “why would you?”

“Mummy said I was shouting a few minutes ago.”

“Ha, ha. Was that you? I heard something but I went back to sleep. I thought that Pawo may have punched Elizabeth while they were doing yoga outside.”

Rosa laughed. “Today is going to be a great day and…….”

“I am a gift from God!” interrupted Julia. Rosa looked at her a little confused. “Elizabeth taught me that as well.” Rosa looked at Brenda who was still sound asleep. “Oatmeal for breakfast?” asked Julia.

“Yes, of course, what else?” replied Rosa darting into the bathroom to get ready to go to school. Julia smiled and walked over to Brenda’s cot. She leaned over and gave her youngest sister a kiss. Brenda stirred and opened one eye. She saw Julia leaning over her cot. She smiled and then fell back to sleep.