Raspberry Jam

Dear Nicole,

I'll try once more. I did send you another blog last week I can't find it. It was on top of your last letter and when I tried to erase your note it took mine instead. Be patient with me. .

You will soon be coming home. I can't wait to hear all about everything. What an incredible experience you are having. Your description of everything is the next best thing to being there. I wish I had something exciting to write. The closest I can come to seeing a bull fight is to watch the blasting and destroying of the hillside to the West. After they dynamite, they dig up the rocks and crush them in their enormous machines. Most of the dust ends up in my house. They go at it with such gusto, it must be similar to a matador going after the bull.

You are all doing things that I can only dream about. Becky is in Chile, Brad is going to Russia, Nicole is in Spain. Jeff is having a great mission in California, Matthew, Ashley, Katy, Luke are students at the U. Mindi and Gaige have a new home, Steven is amazing and so are all the rest of my grandchildren. You light up my life.

My only accomplishment this summer is my Raspberry jam. While I make my jam my memories take me back more than 70 years to the time when I was a little girl in my Mama's kitchen. She made her jam in a huge double boiler. She mixed equal parts of fruit (usually plums) and sugar lumps from the sugar factory. All day long the jam cooked and my mother stirred. When we came home from swimming in the old canal, we would eat the jam on hot bread just coming out of the oven of the wood burning stove. I'm so blessed to have had a Mother who made home the place where I wanted to be.

I have the best of both worlds. Because of my mother I find enjoyment in the things I do each day. And because of my grandchildren I can share in the wonderful things that each of you are doing. Life is great. It's just possible that life begins at "80".

Hurry Home, we miss you. (you can send this on if you think anyone would be interested)

Love, Grandma