In high school, I enrolled in the gifted American History class. Our teacher took the first quarter off because she and her husband had just adopted a baby. That meant a substitute teacher. I was already nervous about taking a gifted class, and without the usual teacher? This could be a tough first quarter. AsContinue reading "The Pizza Girl"
A Flag, a Friendship, and an Unexpected Lesson
In 1988, I had the privilege of studying abroad at a university in Poznan, Poland. One of my courses was a sociology class where I was asked to write and discuss essays of cultural nuances I experienced. I will share about some of those experiences on this blog. One particular story started with a conversationContinue reading "A Flag, a Friendship, and an Unexpected Lesson"
Back-to-School Sewing
Every fall, I remember how my mom, Joy Washburn Gillis, got out her sewing machine for my back-to-school clothing. It was a ritual we shared every year. She was a talented seamstress. Several weeks before school started, she took me to a store where we could pick out patterns and fabric. She let me chooseContinue reading "Back-to-School Sewing"
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 Place I Loved before I Knew Why
When I visited Boston for the first time as a child, I fell in love with the place. I returned several times during my teen and college years. My dream was to live there. When it was time to choose a graduate school, I knew I wanted to go to Boston University. My one-year master'sContinue reading "The Place I Loved before I Knew Why"
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"
