Reflections

Finally....my pictures downloaded for this blog. I've been trying since last night.Perhaps we could have a little rendition of the Hallelujah chorus from Handle's Messiah play in the backround. I was mistakenly thinking that having a satellite Internet provider would solve all my computer problems. How naive!

The holidays are over again for another year and everyone has left the nest and gone back to their own lives. The boys caught the ferry last Friday- Brian went back to Juneau and Ben returned to North Carolina for some more intense training. Autumn left today. Things will go back to normal now I guess, whatever that is. No doubt it will be much quieter around here. For whatever reason the kids seem to think that visiting here requires staying up into the wee hours of the morning and sleeping in until the afternoon. I can't really complain too much since they spend so much time at Jen's house talking and laughing and carrying on. Our place is mainly for grabbing a meal, drinking gallons of coffee and pop, and having a place to crash when they finally decide they're tired; without having to think about who is going to be cleaning up the mess afterwards. It's simply amazing. Somehow, while everyone is resting, the magic clean up fairies show up and the clutter and mayhem dissapear. Just in time for the next meal...how very nice.

I have a reputation for being crabby when things don't go the way I think they should, especially in my own house. Few things upset me more than being woken from a sound sleep in the middle of the night.No matter how quiet everyone tries to be when they come in though, I always hear them. Most of the time I can't hear half of what is on TV and only about two thirds of most conversations, but at night, after I've gone to bed, I can hear a mouse fart from two blocks away;it's uncanny.

One thing that became very apparent to me on this holiday was how much the kids seemed to have enjoyed their childhood here. Of course that wasn't the case when they were growing up. Listening to them then you would be under the impression that they were being raised by members of the Gestapo whose most important function in life was to prevent them from having any fun by confining them to the most boring place on the planet. Recently though, I heard several times how much they missed Hoonah and the family. I understand. When we are separated by time and distance, our perspective grows sharper. One day the guys were up at Jen's watching G-rated movies from their childhood. I guess it's human nature to want to recapture our most pleasant memories.

It also became abundantly apparent that each of my children has the most fantastic sense of humor. That fact delights me. They know how to have fun with each other and with those outside the family. It's a joy to be in the presence of people who can laugh and have a good time. A good sense of humor can get you through some difficult circumstances. God knows, in these trying times it can be worth more than gold. If you can share laughter you can lift another's burden and lighten their load. It can be the difference between a long day and a great day. We've been blessed as a family to share many a laugh. I can see why they enjoy coming home and look forward to the next time we can all be together. I just hope they will be wearing silent cloud shoes and have little janitors in their pockets. Love you guys!