From My Favorite Chair

I've been away from home a lot recently, and have enjoyed every minute - well, almost every minute - of it. When one of my friends calls, she often begins the conversation with "Where are you?" Over the course of the last six weeks or so my answers have been varied because over the summer, my travels have taken me to Crossville, Tennessee, for a family gathering and informal reception to celebrate the marriage of one of my sons. To Radford, Virginia, for SUUSI. To Knoxville, Tennessee, for another gathering of family. Between those three locations I got to see all four sons, their spouses, and all of my grandchildren. From Knoxville I returned to Montgomery for a few days, then left with one son and family for a few days at the beach at Destin, Florida. I returned home on a Sunday afternoon, then left again Monday morning to attend and teach at a fantastic workshop for teachers held at a venue on an Alabama lake. Three wonderful days saturated with the concept of finding value by incorporating the arts across the curriculum - who could ask for more? But my travels were not over. After a few days at home I joined my cousins for a week at the beach in Panama City, Florida. It wasn't easy to tear myself away from family and the ocean, because both mean so much to me, but when my friend called again yesterday, it was very good to answer her question of "Where are you?" with "I'm talking to you from my favorite chair." As much as I love to roam, there really isn't any other place like home.