The year,2012, is drawing to a close. It is now a matter of hours bdfore the countdown begins. Like all years, it has presented its challenges and bumps along the road and there have also been some interesting and surprising twists.
Out of the blue I was reconnected with a dear friend that I have probably not seen for thirty years. We formerly taught together in a northern Ohio city school Our Appalachian roots are similar except she grew up closer to the Virgina area of the Appalachia of my father's family. As a young woman, she lived not far from my paternal great-aunt and my maternal uncle and his family. Our friendship was formed because we were part of the community of Appalachian migrants. When you are far from home...and living in a society that is antagonistic to the intrinsic values of your "home" territory...the natural instinct is to find friendships with others who share those "home" values.
Sylvia and I shared adventures and friendship and for a time, a house. When my younger brother-in-law was shipped back from Vietnam to a west coast military hospital, he called one evening to report tht he was stateside and needed a care package....full of chocolate chip cookies. With our other housemate, we baked cookies and sent them....only to find out that when the other GI's in the ward smelled the package...they promptly opened the box, ate his cookies and left him the empty box and wrapping paper. I am sure the cussing from our end of the call probably shocked my brother-in-law but he was told that another package would be coming.
Off to the store we went. There would be a massive baking session that night after supper. We baked twice as many cookies as the first time. This time,we wrapped each batch in aluminum foil, packed the foil wrapped cookies in tissue paper`and plastic wrap, put the cookies in a huge paper grocery bag, put them in a box, sealed the box and next day, went down the street to the neighborhood post office. The package was delivered safely to the hospital ward...this time without being raided.
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