This morning the sun was shining when I woke up and I woke up early. We have train tracks behind our house and the train came by at 6am honking its horn all the way up the tracks. When I opened my eyes, it was fully morning; the sun was up and wayyy over to the left again as it should be in the spring.

I got home last night from a reunion (and a short family visit, too) with an au pair who was in my cluster in Cincinnati, Ohio way back when. I’m not sure I’ve spoken about those years here yet. I worked for InterExchange/AuPair USA based in New York City when my children were young. One of my neighborhood friends had started an au pair group that was getting too big for her to manage alone so I started a group, too. We managed an international group of young adults that grew to be about 50 at its largest. What I loved most about it was learning about all the cultures around the world. At that time, I had a world map and knew where all the different countries were. I had au pairs whose countries were at war, I had parents of au pairs calling me when Cincinnati’s race riots were exploding, I had au pairs with health scares and au pairs who disappeared at the end of their year. I had au pairs who stayed in the US and worked and married. It was a wonderful experience.

Janine contacted me a few months ago as they made plans to come to the states on holiday. They visited Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York City and Boston. I managed to get away to Massachusetts on Sunday to meet up with her (and her husband and daughter) in Marblehead. It was a cup-filler for sure!

I am so blessed to have had these women and men in my life. Janine is one of the special ones. And there were many. It had been 27 years since we had seen each other and it was as if all the years between were erased and we picked up again from the day we said farewell. EXCEPT that I have gray hair and she has two grown daughters, one of whom was with her, and a husband. We had lunch and a stroll around Fort Sewell in Marblehead and then it was time to part again, hopeful that it won’t be another 27 years before the next reunion.

Au Pair agencies still exist out there and welcoming an international “student” (the men and women come to the US on a student visa and there is an education part to the program) is a rewarding and often times life changing experience. Au Pairs provide childcare for a minimal stipend and an opportunity to live with an American family to learn English and gain experience. A good local coordinator is essential and families need to be willing to welcome this young person as a member of their family; take them on family vacations, out for meals and family activities, etc. Done well, your family grows by one with each au pair you host. While I didn’t have an au pair myself, my family grew by many over the years and I value the contact and communication that I’ve had as I watch these “kids” get married and have families of their own. Getting to meet Janine’s family was the cherry on top!

I spent the night with my Marblehead and Salem family and when I got home yesterday afternoon I find this … yup, I’m a lucky woman! Gone knitting.