Happy Australia Day to you . . .

I just watched the Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony on TV and can't believe how emotional I felt! The singing of the National Anthem. The raising of the flag. The excitement of some the the people taking their oath today. It brought unexpected tears to my eyes and my heart swelled with pride . . .

My daughter's partner became an Australian a couple of years ago and I was lucky enough to be at the ceremony to share the occasion with him. It was very stirring, that's for sure - the new Australians taking their oath, and then the already-Australians making an affirmation based on the Australian Citizenship pledge,  publicly affirming their loyalty and commitment to Australia and its people, which gave me pause to stop and think about what it meant for me to be Australian. And it's not just lamingtons, pavlovas, roast lamb and BBQs :) We're pretty lucky in this country - the freedoms we enjoy, the wonderful places there are to live, the diverse range of people that we get to share our lives with.

We get so busy just living our lives, that we don't always remember to take stock of what things mean to us. But today, for a moment, that's what I did. And all in all, I'm feeling very proud and happy to be Australian today, as we celebrate Australia Day, 2012.