hi mom I just got yuor e-mail on monday night at 6:42 the e-mail hasent been working but evrey once in awhile I love you verry very very very very very very very very very very very vervy very very very evry very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very verry very very very very very veryvery very very very evry evry very very very very verry very very very very very very evry very very very very very very very veyr very very very very very very very very very very very evry very very very very very ver very very very very very very very very very evry very evry vervy ervy very very very evry very ed very very very much and even more then that
This is an e-mail from nine-year-old Em, copied verbatim—exactly what I needed after a whirlwind trip to central and northern Vietnam, then back to Saigon. (Hanoi is gorgeous! I must go back and spend more than 24 hours there.)
It’s almost 11p, my ears are plugged from the plane ride, and my day starts first thing tomorrow. This is it for me tonight. I just wanted to say, kids have a way of making everything OK. How do they do that?
I am so jealous of your travels! I am in love with Asia and have never been. What are you DOING over there womyn!
I look forward to your photos – I expect you will share your journeys through Hanoi with us! (You better!) :)))))
This letter you shared is priceless. VERY VERY VERY.
((Hugs))
PS: While I don’t have a tree or anything this year— I did recieve an XMAS gift already— guess what it was? The NEW beautiful release of Pride and Prejudice —with documentary on Jane Austen and a production book – it’s gorgeous! I cannot find the same on Amazon or anywhere yet— i don’t know where they got it from but I love it!
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ybonesy,
In a post you did months ago you wrote about your feelings of inadequacy as a mother. It looks like Em thinks you are doing a great job. She surely wouldn’t trade moms with anyone.
I can’t believe you’re seeing places like Saigon and Hanoi. Places I have only heard of in association with the Vietnam War. In my mind places like that are still 1970, yet there you are.
I’ve got a PBS documentary on hold at the library–a six-part series about Vietnam. I will watch it in solidarity with you. PBS has the greatest documentaries; I just watched one on Walt Whitman in preparation for our next Poetry and Mediation group.
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ybonesy, what a sweet e-mail from Em! Very touching! Children just have that way of making everything ok. I agree that she knows you are doing a terrific job. Hope you are enjoying your trip. Coming home is always so wonderful though, isn’t it? Take care & rest assured, Jim & the girls will overwhelm you with love upon your return. You are a special person to many yb! D
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Yeah, Sib, nice gift! How great about the production book. I wonder where the gift-giver found it.
Thanks, ya’ll. I just spoke to Jim and the girls. They’re eating sausage and drinking tea. Can’t wait to see them.
It’s been another great trip. Somehow trips always have a way of working their way through the ups and downs of being on the road. I guess it’s like the rest of life. Time passes, and we pass through it.
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I have to agree. Kids do have a way of making everything ok. Sometimes even more than ok. I had been experiencing a little angst over turning 50 (something I realized more afterwards than during the time). For my birthday weekend my husband and I went to visit our granddaughter and her parents. It was the best way to celebrate my birthday and to give me a much-needed attitude adjustment.
Grandchildren are especially good at that (attitude adjustments). I came home filled with joy and happy to be 50.
I have to admit that I’m a little envious of all your travels, except for the flying parts.
Welcome back, YB. 🙂
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ybonesy, Em is adorable. I love that you posted this message from her. When does your plane leave for home?
There is something grounding about staying connected to family, community, when traveling. Imagine what it must have been like to travel in the days before planes when people took slow boats to get to exotic places. Then they had to write letters because there was no Internet, cell phones, all that jazz that keeps us busy, busy, busy in front of a screen all the time.
Robin, I like your story about turning 50 and seeing your Grandkids. I am rarely around children, the most often being when I go home to visit my family. But I love when I have a chance to visit with my nieces and nephews one on one for a little bit when I travel back home. I like the way they see the world. It’s very refreshing. And I have great admiration for my siblings, all whom have raised (are raising) wonderful children in this world.
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yb, Thank you so much for sharing Em’s note to you; it was very very very special! It is obvious that you and Jim are raising your girls in a home filled with love. Kids certainly cut to the heart of the matter, and make everything “more than all right;” I agree.
qm, your comment about the difference in travel times reminded me of what I read today in my research on one of the early homesteaders in the Rocky mountains. After a 20 minute flight from Billings to Cody, he said to his son, “The first time I made this trip, it took eight days!” Can you imagine?
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oliverowl, wow, 8 days from Billings, Montana to Cody, Wyoming. I’ve been through Billings quite a few times on my way to Missoula. But have never made it to Cody. Hey, I’m curious, how far’s the drive from Cody to Billings? I think it might have been about 6 or 7 hours across the state of Montana, Billings to Missoula. But my memory isn’t what it used to be. I’d have to check.
When I would drive across Montana late, late at night with no one else on the roads, I’d often wonder what it was like back in the day, to live, work, and travel in remote areas of the West. You really would have had to have a spirit for wanderlust!
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One of my recent calls to home from Vietnam, Em got on the line and said in her little voice, “Mommy, I saw what you posted on the blog.” That was cute.
I am so excited to see the little nubbins. And Sony, and Jim. And the boys (Rafie and Otie).
QM, sorry I wasn’t able to answer your question about when I was leaving. My last full day in VN was packed. Then this morning (or at least it was this morning in VN) I got up at 4a. Except it would have been 2p on Thu in NM. So I’ve been on the road since 2p on Thu, NM time. And still not quite home. Sleepy….
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ybonesy, I bet Jim and the girls can wait to see you! You must be one tired girl. All those huggable open and loving arms await you! 8)
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Kids are VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY smart.
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