Coffee and Solidarity in Poland

In the spring of 1988, I arrived in Poznan, Poland for a semester abroad. I had participated in an eight-week summer program in Poznan, but I wanted to move beyond the structured program designed for foreign students. I wanted a real semester-abroad experience, to know what everyday student life felt like: attending classes at theContinue reading "Coffee and Solidarity in Poland"

The View from the Window

Whenever I visit an historic home, I spend as much time looking out the windows as I do looking at the interiors. I also take photographs through the windows, often capturing the window frame in the picture. It's not because I'm photographing the landscape. I'm trying to see from someone else's perspective, someone who mightContinue reading "The View from the Window"

My Eight-Year-Old Self Knew What to Do

When I struggle with big challenges today, it helps me to remember how I survived a near physical shutdown as a child. At eight years old, I learned that sometimes your body tells you what you need, even when you don't understand it. I had never heard of sunstroke. I didn't know first aid. IContinue reading "My Eight-Year-Old Self Knew What to Do"

A Delightful Discovery

Recently, I was delighted to find a newspaper article from the March 25, 1924 edition of the Miami Herald. This article was a gift in so many ways, and I’m so glad the story was preserved. The news story described a wedding on March 22, 1924, in which many of my family members participated. ItContinue reading "A Delightful Discovery"

Looking beyond the Names on a Family Tree

I was reading a story set in Michigan, 1862. When I’m reading history, I often mentally plug my ancestors into the date to get a glimpse into their specific world. My mom’s family lived in Michigan, so I did the math. My great grandmother wasn’t born yet, so I looked up her mother, someone whoContinue reading "Looking beyond the Names on a Family Tree"

Building a Japanese Rock Garden with My Dad

When I was very young, my dad, Bill Gillis, Jr., decided to create a Japanese rock garden in our side yard in Miami. He wanted it to stretch along the back fence all the way to the rose garden he had planted for my mom. It seemed an ambitious project, but my dad was upContinue reading "Building a Japanese Rock Garden with My Dad"

Thursday Nights and Libbyland TV Dinners: A 1970s Memory

When I was growing up, my mom (Joy Washburn Gillis) cooked very healthy meals for our family dinners. She had to put thought and care into each recipe because my dad (William Gillis, Jr.) had a heart condition. Breakfast was often cereal and fruit. Lunch was usually a sandwich. But she insisted that we enjoyContinue reading "Thursday Nights and Libbyland TV Dinners: A 1970s Memory"

My Handkerchief Shirt

In elementary school in the late 1970s, I made my own handkerchief shirt. It was for the Junior Girl Scouts sewing badge, called the Needlecraft badge. I had never tried to sew before, but I wanted to earn every badge. My mom, Joy Gillis, an expert seamstress, was determined to help me. My mom andContinue reading "My Handkerchief Shirt"