Ten years ago today,

my wonderful, beautiful younger sister Shelly left this earth and entered eternal life. I miss her everyday. Ten years! I hadn't fully realized just how young her children were at the time. Stevie was nine, Keith was 7, just a few months older than C. is now and Renee, like E., was four, soon to be five. Shelly lives on through her children. Stevie is now 19, Keith is 17 and Renee will be 15 in June. Her husband Mark remarried and he and Jenny have two year old Sam.

Ten years ago today, I was just beginning a year of teaching in Copiapo, Chile. Little did I know that later in the year, G. and I would marry and years later we would have two great kids and find ourselves living in China.

Twenty years ago today, I was teaching in Sao Paulo, Brazil. A group of us still keep in touch. Greetings to Aggie, Mary, Gayle, Chris and Michele. What a difference living overseas was back then - no internet! It's so wonderful today - connecting with all things home in an instant.

Thirty years ago today, I was student teaching. That winter was a lot like the one Michigan experienced this year. In 1978, there was a ton of snow and school districts were closed for two weeks plus in western Michigan. Later in the year, I graduated, went to Europe that summer (and the travel bug bit big time!), and then in September began my teaching career in mid-Michigan. I was very fortunate to work in three great districts. Ironically, at retirement, I returned to the mid-state area to live.

Forty years ago today, I was in Sr. Wilma's sixth grade class singing protest songs. You gotta love those liberal Dominican Sisters (from Racine, not Adrian). It was probably her first year of teaching and she was most likely not much older than nineteen! I remember singing "When Rosa Parks sat down, the whole world stood up" and "Little boxes, little boxes. There's a red one, and a blue one, and a green one and a yellow one. And they're all made out of ticky-tacky, and they all look just the same." I didn't realize, until years later, that we were mocking our own suburban lifestyle!

Fifty years ago today, I was two years old. I don't remember a thing from that period, but I imagine I was one happy kid to have Mom all to myself while the four older siblings were in school!

What will ten years in the future bring?? The year 2018. C. will be 16, and E. 15. And me, well, ten year older (!), deciding if I should take Social Security or wait it out. IMHO, I'll offically be a "senior" when I'm colecting SS!