This past weekend I spent the whole time up in Wendell with the lovely Mary Gilman. The house where I live was taken over by eleven house guests, friends of my daughter Kate from NMH, the prep school where both she and I graduated. Upon my return after my own fantastically busy and enjoyable weekend, I saw that she was still basking in that afterglow of seeing old friends. It sounds like we both had a blast.

Kate Cosme, my daughter, is the organizer. She's the one who gets these reunions done, she's the one who emails everyone again and again, saving the date, getting people off the fence, and bringing all of these people together. She is like me, in that she is always the one making the calls, asking people over, setting up the plans....and when it's me I sometimes think, 'why not them?'

But again and again, when the people all show up and the weekend plans unfold, and everyone is so happy to be reunited, they are so glad that Kate was the persistent one, the one who had the idea and who made it happen. I have been disappointed often that I sometimes think if I don't make calls to get people over, or to make a weekend plan, no one will call me. Some people are just happier being the one who gets called than being the lightning rod, the point person.

It's hard to accept that Kate and I are just like that, we're the ones who do it. People love us for it, despite the fact that sometimes I wish everyone else would do the inviting. But we're always glad it happens.