The day before Thanksgiving..

My house is full. Every bed. Every towel. And it is wonderful. I wake up in the night knowing that family I love is sleeping in rooms down the hallway.

Abe and Kristin arrived from Portland,Oregon last night..it was late and they were tired, so we visited a bit and they went to bed (actually they are still sleeping!)

Adam and Tonya woke early this morning to visit Tonya's Dad..he died two years ago today. Dressed in my yellow raincoat and purple hat and umbrella they trudged off through the pouring rain (which will be turning to inches of snow by nightfall.) I said, tell your Dad I miss him. Bill was a great guy.

Always there is something to miss, isn't there? No matter how full the house is... I miss my parents and sisters and brothers and a special person that I have grown fond of...I miss how it used to feel to be a family at the farm....I think that is the power of story and remembering.

In the John Newbery Award book, Sarah, Plain and Tall written by Patrica MacLachlan...Sarah has a conversation with her friend, Maggie. Sarah was a mail order bride who left the seacoast of Maine to move to the Midwest. She misses the sea, her family. Maggie calmly says, There are alway thing to miss, no matter where you are.

So, on this day before Thanksgiving...oh, how lovely to have the house full of family you love so much...but don't forget to tell stories of those who won't be at your table.

Who Came Down That Road, Mama..by George Ella Lyons

This month at school I have focused on home and hearth...you know the usual assignments..have dinner with your family..talk with each other instead of the big T word (television)...also sent home notes with first graders to talk about family history. OK, I know first graders...the world did not exist before they arrived six or seven years ago..but let's give it a try.

My bulletin board is full of their stories and photos...I have photos rom 1800 Germany, 1932 New York...it is quite wonderful.

A few interesting facts for you: One of my student's ancestors was named Shirley Temperance Wade, December 1939; another had his Great, great grandfather's ashes spread out on Beartooth Mountain Range in Georgia; another had a Great-Great grandfather come here from England to become a cowboy. The stories go on..as they always do..one leads to another..but to my first graders they still insist they come from Hamilton, Indiana.

The Babysitter's Club...

Last night was my first to babysit my new little grandsons, Jonah (2 months) and Matthew (3 years)...Both have just come into my life his fall.

Karen gave me directions...how to feed, diaper, etc...I listened intently (yes, I raised three children, but..) and then she and Aaron walked out the door.

I have to admit I called for re-informents to be brought in, Adam and Tonya..that was a good thing. Amazingly enough, all three of us were busy...then Tonya invited her family over (Mom, brother, his girlfriend, his children) to sweeten the pot!!

My house was strewn from one end to the other with paints and musical instruments and toys and blankets and diaper bags.

The good news is...we all lived to tell the story. The bad news? Adam and Tonya live in Florida and I doubt they can fly up to help every time I need them!!