My Aunt Joan called early this morning to chat. What a treat.
I had sent Joan a link to a Webinar I taught recently and she wanted to tell me how much she it helped her to understand what I do at work.
Then we just chatted for about an hour.
Things I learned during our conversation:
- Ben Kilpatrick, a member of the Sundance Kid's Hole in the Wall Gang, was a relative of ours.
- When Joan and my Uncle Rog lived on a farm 40 years ago, they hired Mexican workers from Texas. Farmers in Nebraska were often visited by INS employees and were fined if immigrant workers didn't have the correct papers. She is very worried about how Mexicans and Mexican-Americans will be treated in Arizona when the new immigration law takes effect.
- Some of our ancestors arrived in the U.S. through New Orleans.
- The ancestors I thought were Dutch were actually Danish.
- The ancestors I thought were Irish were actually Scottish.
- I love my Aunt Joan who is in her mid-80s and, although I kind of hate to say it out loud... to put words to it, I am missing her already.
Robin, Tempe
5 comments:
How wonderful to have such a lovely connection to your family's history! Aunt Joan added a lot of depth and breadth.
I bet she got as much out of your hour together as you did.
It's a lovely thought, and it's OK to say it out loud. And your aunt would understand. The last 14 years, I've had regular visits with relatives about whom I could say the same. And some have died and some are still around, but every visit, every conversation is made more special by the awareness that it won't always be this way. And let me point out: As a result of this conversation with your aunt - and others to come - you will "miss" her less than others miss their aunts. Because you will not have missed this occasion. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you both... and, Dana, what a lovely thought... I do and will miss her, but I'll carry the times I've had with Joanie around in my heart.
This is fantastic. My nana turns 90 in July. I understand what you mean by missing her.
So neat to be able to catch up with a relative and fill in pieces of our heritage puzzle that were previously missing!
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