The Primary Presentation - Ottawa Style

... standing in a row at the water's edge ...

It was the Primary Presentation today. 

Rhiannon was ready to go to church about three hours before it was to begin.

We have the 1 pm meeting, and she had practised her talk numerous times and also taken out her Cool Maker and Styled the mannequin’s hair with an elaborate fish braid. 

But by the time she got to church, the color had gone out of her own face, her jaw seemed longer and the rest of her face drawn. It was all she could do to stay upright and lean against her mother’s shoulder.

... my first glance at the seagulls this morning ...

As to Mary, she holds a special position in the primary: primary support worker.

I asked her exactly what that means. She said she is assigned to help a 3 year old girl on the autism spectrum.

So that made sense of what I saw as the children sang one of the songs.

I know -- bad composition
But it still seemed interesting to me.

Mary was sweetly singing the song. She had squatted down and was cheek to cheek with that little girl’s ear. The little one was showing the audience her own version of a sign language for what Mary was singing, the movements of which have nothing to do with American sign language. I have never seen a child do so many geometric changes with her hands and fingers.

A little later she dropped a paper she was holding and it had fell on the other side of the panel of boards that extends out from the pulpit.

She was motioning for anyone in the audience to pick it up … anyone? At one point I just about got up and got it for her. She was very good at motioning for help.  Even I was drawn into her captivating  drama  What held me back is that sometimes when I get in the crouching position to pick something up, I can’t get up on my own. I didn't think I needed to add to whatever else was going on.

Leo said he just about went to get it for her as well. Of course it is fun to watch the children, all dressed up in their Sunday best. One little African boy had on a stunning orange and geometric print shirt.

... the gulls in a close-up ...

Another little boy had a bow tie on a white shirt. The whole thing accented with a small version of a suit.

Another three year old has taken to wearing a body suit every day for the last 2 weeks.

It doesn’t matter what ever else her mother puts on her, she has it taken off and is back in the body suit, so we saw her doing a few tumbles across the the area just in front of the first pews.

Ah, I get such happiness from diversity.

Arta