My Tribe

This blog has been neglected for a couple of weeks, mainly because Emily was here for her 30th high school reunion. And she was here without her children or husband. I remember the first time I went away without the kids and how enjoyable that was, even though I loved them dearly. No one asking me where their shoes were, or what's for dinner, or having to go to the library to look up something for a paper due the next day (this is well before the computer and Google, of course). FREEDOM! What kids? Emily had a marvelous time at the reunion and looked gorgeous and much younger than her classmates. I know everyone's mother thought the same thing, but really. It was great to have her home and we laughed a lot. She enjoyed wandering around Kent and seeing old friends.

We took a trip up to Corning to see her aunt, my wonderful sister Mary Lucille (know to others as Mary Lu Walker). Much more laughter, and Ichat visits with some of the cousins. Took in the Rockwell Museum which specializes in Western art, including Remingtons and Russells. Don treated us to a great Indian dinner down in the historic district. It was a short but very fine visit and the drive along the green hills is beautiful.

All this family visiting made me think of how lucky I am to be a part of such a terrific tribe. There 's my immediate family - my four children. There are my two beautiful grand daughters. There's my birth family - my sister and my two brothers, and the memory or our late oldest brother. There are my 22 nieces and nephews and countless great-nieces and great-nephews. These are all splendid, attractive and brilliant people, naturally, being my relatives and all. Some of them are my namesakes - fortunately as a middle name so that they will not be burdened as I have been. I did hear that darling little Sophie in Dayton wanted people to start calling her Guenveur, but I hope she has changed her mind by now. (If she insists, I wonder if I could take the name of Sophie, which I really like.)

Besides these relatives, there are dear friends, too, whom I consider part of this tribe, the kind of folks we all have in our lives who are like family, people who don't have to like you , but do. I don't mean acquaintances, but people who know you well and still like to hang out with you. That's a good thing in the world today.

Well, the house seems empty this morning now that one of my tribe is on her way back to Germany and her children and husband. They'll be glad to have her back, but we - John, Sally and I - will be missing her.