family

Posts Tagged ‘family’

Celebrating Mom’s Birthday

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Writing, tagged family, Hunter Gibson, lake, Nola on June 20, 2015| 11 Comments »

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

I have a new best friend. We met on the Internet through blogging, linking up each week with the Two Writing Teachers blog. We met face to face for the first time at NCTE in the fall. So when she told me she was coming to New Orleans to visit colleges with her daughter, I jumped at the chance to get together. Julianne Harmatz, her daughter Claire, and I spent the day together on Tuesday. I showed her some of my favorite things about NOLA, The Quarter, beignets at Cafe Du Monde, and Pim’s Cup at The Napoleon House. Julianne and I talked nonstop. At one point we were discussing birthdays and guess what!? We have the same birthday! I screamed, “Soul sisters!” I celebrate friendship.

With Julianne in Jackson Square

On Wednesday I drove home to Mississippi to be with my sister and her kids to celebrate our mother’s birthday. All of us (brother included) went out to a nice restaurant for lunch together. Much talking, laughter, and fun. Here’s Mom with her Crème brûlée desert.

My brother, Hunter Gibson, is a musician. He was featured in The Clarion-Ledger this week. Friday night many of us gathered to hear him play and sing. Jack, my 10 year old nephew, and I made origami with dollar bills for the tip jar. Jack made an elephant and I made a guitar. I celebrate creating with Jack and in giving to Hunter.

The sunsets are glorious here at the lake. I celebrate being with family, watching wildlife, and reconnecting with friends old and new.

June sunset on the lake

Read Full Post »

Posted in Poetry, Spiritual Growth, tagged digital poetry, family, spiritual journey on April 23, 2015| 2 Comments »

Join the Spiritual Thursday round up at Reading, Teaching, Learning.

Use this button created by Leigh Anne Eck to post your Digital Poetry this month.

Holly Mueller leads us to spiritual reflection each week. This week the theme is family. I didn’t think I could write a poem about family without being trite or cliché. Sometimes cliché just happens, and this is one of those times.

Family is a full cup
overflowing
with nourishing water
a twist of lemon.

Family is a dog,
four cats,
an occasional frog.

Family is photo albums
in the antique armoire
saving the years.

Family is a favorite restaurant
where they know your name.

Family is a daily text,
Facetime, calling Bluetooth,
feeling close together
while far apart
knowing there is no place like home
and no friend like family.

–Margaret Simon

Last night I happened upon a Twitter chat for #TCRWP. Someone mentioned using PicLit, so in the spirit of digital poetry, I tried it out. The first picture that came up was the Bean in Chicago where we have posed a few family pictures. The word family was not listed, so I used people instead.

See the full PicLit at PicLits.com

And here a family Bean photo with haiku using Picmonkey.

Read Full Post »

Celebrating Queenliness, Friends, and Family

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Slice of Life, Writing, tagged Berry Queens, family, Hunter Gibson, Sweet Potato Queens on March 28, 2015| 10 Comments »

SOL #28

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

Tulips from the grocery store. A gift for my mom.

I am at home. My parents are surrounding me and my friend, Cathy, with love, kindness, and laughter. I love seeing my parents through her eyes. We are eating breakfast this morning having lively conversation about personality types and stories. The stories! I hear stories again that I have heard before, but with my friend, the stories have new meaning. I am celebrating friendship and family.

Last night we ventured out to an oyster bar to hear my brother’s band play. What live music does for the heart and soul should be celebrated. One of his band members, Monty, has been playing with him for 36 years. I celebrate my brother, his music, and Monty.

My brother Hunter, me, and Monty, his longtime friend and bass player.

Cathy and I are in Jackson for the Sweet Potato Queens weekend. The theme this year is Braveheart, so we wore plaid tutus to the Big Hat Brunch. Cathy made the skirts as well as our hats which reflect our own personal theme of “birds of a feather.” I celebrate Berry Queens, friendship, and Cathy’s creativity.

Me with Cathy in our Berry Queen finery and big hats

View of the lake from an upstairs window.

Read Full Post »

Celebrating Family Heroes

Posted in Celebration Saturday, tagged family, heroes, Thresholds on November 29, 2014| 11 Comments »

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

Jack interviews Martha via Google Hangout.

My nephew Jack, a nine-year-old 4th grader, had a class assignment this holiday to interview his hero. He chose my youngest daughter Martha. Martha is a social worker in Chicago and couldn’t be with us for Thanksgiving. (She is coming home for Christmas! Yay!) I had the privilege of listening in on his conversation with her in a Google Hangout. He had a list of 9 questions.

Martha is a Community Support Specialist with Thresholds, a nonprofit organization that works with the those living with mental illness. What struck me most about the interview were her convictions about being a good listener and giving voice to people who have been silenced through society. She spoke with understanding and respect for her clients.

Being Martha’s mother and she being my baby, I haven’t really appreciated her selflessness. As she was growing up, she was the quiet one. She was always well behaved. She did well in school. When she decided to go to Chicago, I worried. I worried about stupid things like will she be warm enough and how will she navigate such a large place. I didn’t tune in the significance of her work. During Jack’s interview, I saw her differently. I saw her as his hero. I saw her as an advocate for the lonely, the homeless, the mentally ill. She became my hero.

Today, I celebrate my daughter. I celebrate special time with my family. I celebrate heroes.

Read Full Post »

Celebrating Spring emerging Joy

Posted in Blogging, Celebration Saturday, Poetry, Teachers Write, Writing, tagged ABCs of poetry, Bonne Terre Cottage, family, Festival Internationale, TeacherPoets on April 26, 2014| 7 Comments »

This has been such a welcomed relaxing week. I am celebrating today with many others in the blogging community. Ruth Ayres sponsors a round-up. Click the image above to follow.

I Celebrate…

1. Easter weekend with family: Here we are trying out a food truck in New Orleans, Taceaux Loceaux. 5 Stars!

2. Writing retreat at Bonne Terre Cottage in Breaux Bridge.

Bonne Terre Cottage, Breaux Bridge. Photo by Chere Coen

3. Dancing at Festival Internationale in Lafayette.

My dance instructor, Lou, dances with legendary Zydeco Joe.

4. Writing a poem every day. Today is Q, so I wrote a Questionku. The form uses 3 lines with syllable count of 4,5,6 and ends with a question.

5. Teacher poets community. Such a supportive place to talk about poetry and workshop poems. Chris Lehman is a wonderful leader and generous to give his time to nurture our creativity.

Join TeacherPoets community hang outs on Saturday.

6. Connecting with teacher/writer/blogger Holly Mueller I sent Holly a copy of Blessen. She fell in love with her character. Thanks, Holly, for sharing the love.

Read Full Post »

Mardi Gras Time

Posted in Slice of Life, tagged family, Mardi Gras on March 3, 2014| 9 Comments »

Slice of Life Day 3. Join the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.

I am spending time with my sister and her family in New Orleans. Happy Mardi Gras! Yesterday we spent the day on St. Charles watching the crowds, catching beads, and dancing with the passing bands. Two of my daughters met us. I love coming when Beth is here because we stay at her mother-in-law’s home in Kenner, eat her fabulous Indian food, and my brother-in-law drives us to parades. The best way to do Mardi Gras, in my opinion. I made an Animoto video of our day. Hope you enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Celebrate Eighteen, Eleven, Seven, Two

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Writing, tagged family, Geno Delafose, New Year on January 4, 2014| 14 Comments »

Join the Celebration round up at Ruth Ayres’ blog Discover. Play. Build.

Eighteen, eleven, seven, two…
This week started with eighteen people, cousins, sisters, a brother, some boyfriends, all celebrating the holiday season and my father’s eightieth year. We ate, drank, laughed, and hugged.

Gibson Cousination

Eleven gathered at my mother-in-law’s table on Sunday evening, another Christmas. My brother-in-law had something sneaky up his sleeve. I opened a Confederate soldier’s hat. My husband opened Swiss chocolate, and my mother-in-law opened Jamaican rum and Irish whiskey. Scott loves researching genealogy. He gathered information about each of our families and created binders for us. What a labor of love! He discovered that one of my ancestry lines leads to Scottish royalty. The reason for the Confederate hat? He told a story of a family who lost a father and son within days of each other in the Civil War. This is the kind of gift that keeps on giving as I learn my family history.

Seven left for another meal, my daughters, one boyfriend, one husband, and one mother-in-law. We gathered left overs. I made tortilla soup. My daughter made lemon squares. Once again good food, laughter, and hugs.

Two of us for New Year’s Eve. We took a selfie before we went out in the cold rain to dance the night away to our favorite Zydeco band, Geno Delafose and the French Rockin Boogie.

I hope you enjoyed family and each other this holiday season. I am leaving you with a video of Geno. Do a little jitterbug to celebrate!

Read Full Post »

Celebrating Family

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Gratitude, Writing, tagged Christmas, family, Hunter Gibson on December 28, 2013| 5 Comments »

Christmas changes as the children grow. This year, my oldest daughter traveled with her boyfriend to Wyoming to spend Christmas with his family. He has a 2 year-old niece, so everyone marveled over her first understanding of Christmas. Maggie sent pictures and called through facetime, so we connected. But it was not the same. Christmas Day was quieter, but still wonderful. Jeff made the obligatory pancakes, even though he had to make a run for milk and syrup. My mother’s dressing recipe turned out great, and we enjoyed the time with our two other daughters and my mother-in-law. Not to mention the delight of the dogs with their new toys and treats.

This weekend our family has grown. We are all together in Jackson to celebrate Christmas with my family. We are 18 all together. Each of my daughters has a boyfriend with her, so our five grew to 8. This is a first for us. Last night the eight of us went out to a restaurant to eat and hear my brother play. What fun! The sisters requested “Sidney Elf,” a Christmas song Hunter wrote when they were younger. We all sang along when up pops Sidney, Hi de doo!

Tonight the 18 of us will get together to celebrate my father’s 80th birthday. We are all so grateful to be together and to know my parents are happy and healthy. We have much to be grateful for and to celebrate!

Read Full Post »

Summer on New Castle Lake

Posted in Poetry, Slice of Life, tagged family, Mississippi, Travel on June 25, 2013| 8 Comments »

Join the Tuesday Slice of Life

I have had a wonderful, peaceful week with my parents in Madison, MS. on New Castle Lake. They look out at the lake every day. There is something so calming about watching water. Each day, they are visited by a great blue heron, a gaggle of Canada geese, and a family of mallards. Each evening, the sun sets over the horizon making a new painting in the sky.

Each day we embarked on an outing. The first fell on my mother’s birthday. We attended her monthly book club meeting that took place in a Circa 1908 Revival mansion The Fairview Inn B&B and restaurant. I loved being surrounded by smart southern women discussing books and life! They put a candle in Mom’s crème brûlée.

Happy Birthday, Dot!

The next day the three of us went to the Mississippi Museum of Art for lunch and a viewing of the Old Masters to Monet. We also enjoyed the permanent collection and the quilt competition.

On Thursday, we went to the Mississippi Craftsmen Center on the Natchez Trace. So many talented artists and craftsmen in Mississippi!

The rest of the week included hearing my brother play with two other musicians at a fine restaurant, a bookstore visit with my dad, and seeing my sister-in-law in Steel Magnolias. She played the mother, M’Lynn and had me sobbing by the end.

My favorite part was just being there, having time to read, write, and visit with my family. One evening we sat out on the screened-in porch. I read aloud poems by Natasha Trethewey (who is originally from Mississippi) while Mom tracked the stars on her iPad. I wrote the following poem:

Tonight,
instead of TV,
we stargaze;
chart the evening sky on the iPad app.

Mom announces Venus
above the horizon
glimmering like an orange diamond,

not unlike the firefly
with its lonely, silent flashes.

When we stop talking,
frogs moan, crying
like spoiled children resisting bedtime:

Let me stay a little longer,
to find more stars,
to catch more stories,
to be more awake!

Read Full Post »