"Putting Her in Her Place"

Lorrie, Carston & Bud on the front patio of Kevin & Lorrie's home in Peoria, AZ.

"Aunt Jamona" & Lorrie in her gorgeous backyard. (The little tree on the left was recently replaced with a Brazilian Pepper Tree - don't think those grow in Iowa!)

Aiden, Erick, Bud, Lorrie & Kevin strolling through the campus of Christ Church of the Valley in Peoria. (Kevin is one of the ministers of this community. The campus grounds and buildings are huge and beautiful.)

Usually when someone talks of "putting someone in her place" they are speaking of rebuking someone for something they've done wrong or reminding them they are out of order. For me it can mean seeing where and how someone lives - especially those I care about. Which is why our visit with my niece Lorrie & her family in AZ last month meant so much to me.

I had been to Lorrie's in AZ once before at their 'old' house when the twins were small. Two years ago they moved to a new house in a new development farther out of the city - so far out they have a mountain behind them and hear owls and coyotes. Their beautiful home is only a short walk to the boy's school. It was wonderful to walk with them, noting all the flowers and landscaping along the way.

Spending time with my niece also allowed me a look into how she is doing in her life, not just in her surroundings. It gave us a chance to laugh together and to cry together - something I think we both needed. And she helped me look at a problem I was having with an entirely different perspective - very wise for such a young one.

As much as I wanted to see Aiden, Erick & Carston - to see how they've grown and know what they are like at this stage - I wanted them to know who I am; not just a picture but their great aunt Ramona who loves them.

A few days after leaving Peoria, we visited with friends in Tucson. Kristina and I had a discussion about how "place" affects who we are - or grow to be. Lorrie has the midwestern values she learned growing up in Iowa; now she is growing and blooming where she has been transplanted.