Stief/ Step

Es weht eine stiefe Brise hier oben, die mich zur Stiefmutter macht. Ha! Freude herrscht in meinem Herzen. Es war nicht richtig, dass mein Mann von seiner Familie abgeschnitten war. Diese Wunden sind zwar sehr tief, doch nicht unheilbar.

Der Grund zur Freude? Die verlorene Tocher hat sich gemeldet! Mit einer Hartnäckigkeit, die ich von ihrem Vater gut kenne, hat sie ihn auffindbar gemacht. In 5 Jahren ändert sich einiges im Leben einer 19-Jährigen. Viel mehr als unsereins sich noch erinnern kann. Sie ist anders geworden, er auch.

Vor allem gibt es noch mich dazu. Kann ich eine richtige Stiefmutter sein? Ha! Ich glaube, ich probiere die Paar Stiefel erst gar nicht an. Ich werde so sein wie ich immer bin. Ihr gegenüber bin ich so offen, herzlich, respektvoll und einfühlsam wie sonst bei jedem. Es wird schon "stief" gehen.

Hugs for Haiti!

My husband's long lost daughter showed up last week--per email. She'd been looking for him for a while it seems, so maybe he was the one who was lost. Whatever. Now there's hope for family healing. There are lots of wounds. He's as ravaged as any soldier from Afghanistan or Iraq emotionally. Family can do that to you.

Yet there's room for forgiveness, acceptance and love, too. He says hope dies last. I say love never does.

Family/ Familie

I am grateful not only for friends, but for their families, too. Today the Quilty family comes to mind: the in-laws of my high school friend Des who welcomed me when life was changing. I visited the farm, shared the home fire and experienced the warmth of family extended. I'm grateful to Pat for books and encouragement. I am also grateful to Anke and the rest of the Krefts with whom I shared my first German Christmas. I still have the silver tin her grandmother gave me with crisp, rolled homemade waffles. Yum. Thank goodness for people like that who are simply kind.

When I grow up, I want a home like theirs that's warm and welcoming. Happy turn of the years to everyone.

Meine erste Deutsche Weihnachtszeit erlebte ich mit einer Familie namens Kreft nahe der holländischen Grenze. Sie waren so offen und warmherzig, ich habe es nie vergessen, obwohl es nun über 20 Jahredn zurückliegt. Danke für herrlich nette Familien! Allen einen guten Rutsch.

In-Laws/ Ex

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. How time has flown! I'm grateful for 2009, a year of growth and change. Yay! But some things remain the same. Like the kindness of my in-laws. Thanks to Ulla, my first mother-in-law who rings to share news and recipes. She set us up with kitchen towels and warm clothing our first year here. Simone shared her pullovers and Ulla's partner Walter baked delicious cake. I didn't see Basti and his new family, but I'm grateful to him too for his acceptance as a teen. And Flori, faithful Flori came by when I visited his grandma's house. Thanks also to Silvia and Rolf for welcoming me in their home over half a decade ago. And to Siegmar for more than I can mention here.

Thanks to my new in-laws and family, too: Annelie, Horst and Clarissa for their generosity, to Klaus and Ingrid for their willingness to open up. Thanks to Susanne, Jasper and Christian. And special thanks to Tante Anneliese who made family come together for me.

Meine Schwiegefamilien haben mich immer gut behandelt, bei denen fühle ich mich zu Hause, und dafür bedanke ich mich heute.
Thank count: 972.

Familiensinn

I am grateful for my family and all its extensions. Many people have cared for me over the years. My article It Takes a Village in Oneup magazine describes this in detail.

I am grateful to Rev Hettling and his wife and children (David and Elizabeth) for putting me up in Highgate. Thanks to my aunts and uncles for loving support: Carol, Ditta, Enid, Jule, CC(RIP), Del, Godfrey, Ivan , G. Michael, Ranny and Cas. I'm glad for my stowaway uncle Roy in Bristol, his wife Sue, her sister Jill and nephew who put us up on our England trip and the new aunt nobody knew about until my uncle C's funeral three years ago.

Thanks to Robert and Cloval Anderson, their children Delano, Craig and Natalie whom I lived with in Kingston. Thanks to the Goodisons who gave up a childfree existence to take care of me. Thanks to the Whitemans Aunt Leila, Ruby, Etta and Daphne. And Uncle Burchell and his wife and daughters. I am grateful for my cousins Caron, Michelle, Natalie, Stuart, Yanique, Maureen and their kids--but I have exceeded my thirty for today, so I'll be grateful for the kids another day.

Finding a bunch of people to be grateful for and to is not as difficult as one might think. I have 39 today and my thousand thank count is up to 186!

Ich habe eine grosse Familie. Und die Anzahl der Menschen, die sich um mich gesorgt haben ist noch größer. Ich bin dankbar dafür.