December 2010 (Anne wrote this entry in her diary a few weeks prior to the events in chapter 10 of kslchen's "By a Simple Twist of Fate")

Dear Diary,

Well, instead of writing yet another entry filled with ponderings about my students and the many questions they ask about assignments (do they not listen to my lectures at all?), I would rather ramble on for a bit about my own sweet children. It has been a while since I have written more than just daily notes about them here in your pages.

I am now counting the days (instead of the weeks) until my whole brood will converge on Ingleside for the holidays. Gilbert and I cherish these times with them all together – especially now that six of the seven of them only come home a few times a year (which makes me wonder…again…what will Shirley do once he graduates?). Back in those noisy, often chaotic, days of their childhood when they (and the Meredith children) were constantly underfoot, it seemed entirely possible that my chicks might all choose to nest close to home as adults. But college and careers have taken them far and wide.

I worried for a while that Joy, Dan, and my favorite grandchildren (yes, I know that they are my only grandchildren so, of course, they are my favorites!) would stay in Europe…and keep Rilla there with them. New York is less preferable to me than Halifax, but I know that Dan needs to be in NYC if he's going to be a lawyer with the UN. And Joy is doing so well in her Manhattan law firm. All things considered, I guess NY is preferable to Geneva…their one-year post in Switzerland was about 50 weeks too long for my babies to be living abroad! Chicks spreading their wings is all fine and good…but, in my opinion, Europe is just too far away for any of my brood to live there permanently! It is bad enough that Di is studying way out in Winnipeg, but at least she's still in Canada!

Happily for Gilbert and me (and the Merediths), our two pairs of chicks (Jem with his Faith and Nan with her Jerry) seem to be solid in their relationships. Jem and Faith are such a natural pair – but then it seems that they've always been destined to walk through Lover's Lane together. And while their medical school schedules keep them very busy, it is so nice to be able to join them for a meal once in a while here in Halifax. I'll admit that, at first, Nan and Jerry's relationship was a bit of a surprise to me (since they weren't sweet on each other as children) but they have weathered their long-distance days and now seem to be quite content in Toronto. The romantic side of me wants both my Jem and my Nan to be as happy with their partners as I am with Gilbert even after all of these years we've had together. (It seems like just yesterday when I was young and newly in love with him. I'm still young, right?) The practical side of me wonders if either pair will marry and where they will all end up after receiving their various university degrees. And…I wonder if I will ever end up with any more grandchildren? Honestly, I'd like a new baby to cuddle with especially since Jake and Izzie are getting so big!

And Di…I'm delighted that she's happy with her current girlfriend. However, I do wonder if she is truly content in Winnipeg or if she will eventually move back east after finishing her studies (I hope!). Surely there must be a microbiology lab in Toronto or Halifax that could have an open position for her…

Walter, my sensitive Walter – his love of the written word (even if in Russian) makes my writer's heart smile. I hope that I can carve out some quiet time with him when we are together at Ingleside. While he has told Gilbert and me a bit about his job in Ottawa, I would love for him to open up to me a bit more about his life. I feel that he only lets us see a fa?ade and that so much is hidden inside.

Diary, I confess to you that much of what Shirley says and does these days goes right over my head. Granted, it is much the same with Gilbert's medical conversations – those words often spin around me, but at least Gilbert's concepts are rooted in the human body, so the terms seem a bit familiar. But the computer technology that absorbs Shirley these days is essentially Greek to me. Maybe that's what I need to do…I think I will ask the director of the IT department at Dalhousie to help me learn to translate Shirley's "Greek" into at least a semblance of English that I can understand. Yes, I'll send her an email message tomorrow…

I've been pleased to hear from Rilla that she is doing well in her NYU classes and also at her work. She worries me sometimes as she doesn't seem as passionate about economics as her siblings are about their subjects. But, then again, it is probably hard for both her and Shirley to follow after such focused siblings! It was never my desire for any of them to compete with each other in school or in life. I love them all no matter what they are studying or what careers they pursue! I need to reach out to Rilla when she is here to find out how she is REALLY doing these days. I wonder if she is seeing anyone now that she's broken up with Tristan. Of course, she is just 21 so she doesn't need to meet her Prince Charming yet, but I'd like her to be with someone who makes her feel special.

I need to say "good night" to you now Diary, as my own Prince Charming is ready for me to turn out the lights!