My Happy Place

For the past week Emmeline and I have been in North Dakota with my family. Even though Paul and I have been living in Delaware for four and a half years and own a home there, this will always be home. North Dakota is the ever-fixed point on the compass of my life. It hums with familiarity and comfort. I so much anticipate the moment when I can see the lights of Grand Forks appear on the horizon as we drive along I-29. Like a beacon the lights call me safely home. Even if we never return for good, I hope that Emmeline is able to appreciate and love our home state just as we do. I want her to know the white, frozen landscape and understand how beautiful it is. I hope she sees that the people here are different from anywhere else in the world; their kindness runs deep. I want her to know that her immediate family tree is from here. They are farmers, craftsmen, teachers and homemakers: people that tilled the earth, made machines and trucks work, raised families and braved the weather. My people.
For the time being, Emmeline is in all her glory as she entertains everyone and shows off all of her tricks. She is not quite at the age where strangers upset her. In fact, she is at the age where she needs contstant stimulation to be happy and she very much enjoys new faces and places. Her grandparents and auntie Jacy have been soaking up every minute with her. They keep saying to each other and to interested strangers, "Isn't she perfect?!" Emmeline knowingly smiles, laughs and babbles with her "ba-ba" babyspeak. How wonderful it is to see them all together again.
We miss Paul very much but he will be arriving today. He had one very long week of school before Christmas break. He flew into Minneapolis yesterday and enjoyed the afternoon and evening with his family. He is now braving the five-hour drive from there to here. My sister and her husband arrived from Idaho yesterday and my brother should be arriving today or tomorrow. Their compasses all set to "home" bringing us all together again.
Happy Holidays to all from the frozen tundra! May the cookies be bountiful and turkey be juicy where ever you are!