Piano duet

Great-Grandma Schippers was very gracious to allow Cora to add a few notes to her song! Isn't it amazing that she could play from memory? I knew she could play the piano - she taught Laura and I a fun duet on her organ when we were younger. But I was surprised at how many different hymns she could just sit down and play. And at this age, too, when so many details of life have faded from her memory.

We're back from MI and had a wonderful time. We got to spend a lot of time with Mom, Dad, and Deb, and also saw Cora's great-grandparents and some other friends and relatives. There's never enough time to see everyone that I'd love to see, and definitely not enough time to spend as much time with everyone as I'd like to. But I'm thankful to be able to visit home - my first home, that is - and to have even an hour or two to reconnect with long-time friends and family. And I'm thankful for days to just hangout and "do life" with my family. It's good for my soul.

And, of course, I'm happy to be home - my current home - and be with Brad again. Hopefully the jet-lag won't last too long (Cora woke up at 4 am today, ready to go - still on MI time, I guess) and hopefully the post-visit blues won't last too long, either.

Brad had a great time hunting, even though they didn't see a single elk anywhere! When he got back to town he talked to a number of guys from church and our neighborhood who also were elk hunting in different areas and it turns out NOBODY got an elk this year! They've eluded the hunters this time...But Brad always says the animal is the icing on the cake. I know that just being out there, hiking, watching and waiting is good for his soul, too.