Beth and Bindi

Tonight, we watched Channel 9's exclusive interview with Terri Irwin, Steve's widow, who has been conspicuously silent since his death by stingray barb on 4 Sep (the day before we arrived in melb).

We heard about his love for his family, his passion for wildlife, the fun dad he was to his kids, how he and Terri met and fell in love, how the family has been coping since....As we watched Terri admire the floral tributes and toy displays at the Australia Zoo (which she is viewing for the first time), Beth turned to me and said,"Mummy, I want to go to Australia Zoo. I want to meet Bindi."

Beth has been fascinated by the Irwins since we arrived, partly because the media is full of stories and pictures of the family. (Beth can now identify every one of the family!) She had already seen the Croc Hunter on TV back home, but since seeing Bindi on TV paying tribute to her dad during his memorial service, she seems to have developed a special affinity with her.

There's no doubt the 8 y.o. little girl has inherited her dad's passion for wildlife and his gregarious personality. Her tribute during the service was straight from the heart and made one weep, esp when she said it was now up to her mum, her little bro and her to help Daddy carry on his work. It was such a brave thing for her to do in front of 5,000 people.

We'll have to think of how to fulfil Beth's wish of visiting Australia Zoo. Who knows, meeting Bindi may have a life-changing effect on her.

Meanwhile, our prayers are with the Irwin family. As they move on with their lives, we remind ourselves to examine our own lives too, to remember that life is short, to imagine how Beth and her baby sister will get on if one of us is not around, to make sure they know through the things we say and do daily that we love them and are behind them in everything they do. That will be our legacy to them.

LORD, teach us to number our days, that we may be wise.