CONNECTIONS

Most nights our house is empty. The kids are grown and gone; our grandchildren have moved with them. So, at night I read to Vicki. This tradition goes back to my grandfather who read to my mother, uncles, and aunts. My mother and uncles read to my brother and me. When my grandmother was dying of lymphoma, I read Huckleberry Finn to her. My grandfather, an uncle and his wife, and Vicki would listen. Later I read to our son and daughter just before bedtime. They, in turn, read to their children. The best reader is our daughter Wende. When she begins to read, we all stop what we are doing and gather around. Her intonations, accents, and pacing turn sounds into pictures.
For the past few nights, I’ve been reading my favorite of all read-out-loud-books, Peter Pan. Later, Vicki and I began talking about James M. Barrie and his connection with Daphne du Maurier.

George du Maurier


Sylvia Llewelyn Davies Gerald du Maurier

George Jack Peter Michael Nicholas Daphne Angela