The first time Marg took me home with her for Thanksgiving dinner in Perry, I was, on one hand, overwhelmed by the number of people there--children, spouses, grandchildren. On the other hand, I was amazed and somewhat bewildered by the interaction amongst the family members. Given my own dysfunctional family and my unfortunate background, I could not believe what I was seeing, and I thought to myself, "Is THIS what a NORMAL family is really like???" Everyone spoke without yelling or hitting another person; everyone laughed as stories were shared, e.g., learning to share the bathroom on a "get in-do your business-get out" basis, or not being late to dinner and hoping to find anything left, washing Joe's milk truck and engaging in spirited water "fights," etc. Even some pretty mean games of Trivial Pursuit (Hilary was always ready with a game or two) were undertaken with friendly rivalry! As I watched all this unfold, I quickly realized that everything revolved around you, Arva. You would tend to preparing dinner, all the while listening to the rhetoric and serving as the fact-checker, as someone would ask, "Mom, what was that guy's name who..." or "Mom, where was that place..." or "Mom, when did we..."! You always had the answer, as you'd stir gravy or slice turkey or fill a dish with a tasty vegetable. I kept thinking, "This can't be real," but it was; I saw it with my own eyes! I was welcomed into a crowded home where love and respect was stitched together as artfully as one of your quilts, and which was just as warm and comforting as one of your quilts! Just as we can wrap ourselves in the quilts you made for us, we can wrap our hearts with your love and our brains with special memories of you as cook, fact-checker, quilter and "Mom"!