When mrs. Bess James, guidance office secretary, gathers with her family around teh "groaning board" this Thanksgiving, unlike other feasters unmindful of the purpose of the h oliday, she won't forget to be thankful for her blessings. Life for her in these United States was not always so easy and pleasant. From the age of six months, following the death of her mother, Mrs. James was reared by her invalid grandmother. Her chores were heavy and numerous, but at 10 years of age - when most haven't cut the grass or made a bed - the full duties of the household fell upon her. "I can still remember studying my lessons by a kerosene lamp before an open fire," she recalls. "Ironing, cooking, sewing, cutting wood and drawing water were other duties," modestly admits Mrs. James. Not neglecting her opportunities to round out her personality despite her hardships, Mrs. James played on the basketball team, took part in school plays and regularly attended Sunday School, she recalls. Following her grandmother's death, Mrs. James lived with an aunt in Memphis TN, attending Teachers college long enough to pass the state teachers examination and obtain a license to teach. Five years as a rural school teacher, with summers spent in Teachers college, she remembers, was a rich yet trying experience. The rural, one-room school in which I taught all classes would be considered primitive by modern standards, Mrs. James relates. "Not a window was in the building with only wooden shutters to keep out the rain and cold. The children had no desks. They sat on benches some of which had no backs and, in the winter, they grouped them about a wood-burning stove. Life began looking up for me, she continues, "when I took a business course and became bookkeeper and bursar for Union university at Jackson, Tenn. After another university job and marriage in Minneapolis, Mrs. James moved in 1930 to the Normandy district. The James children, a son and daughter who attended Garfield school, are among their mother's remembered blessings. "Both children were graduated from NHS, my son going on to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, she proudly tells. "He is now executive officer of a mine-sweeper, a part of the famour sixth Fleet. Betty Jean, my daughter, was graduated from Washington university as an architect. Before joining the Normandy high guidance office, Mrs. James served as a secretary-bookkeeper in the physics department at Washington university. "I love my work, enjoy being with the students and hope to serve Normandy high as long as I am a resident of the district." These are Mrs. Jame's own words. She adds, "The students have advantages I never dreamed of, and I love to see them make the most of them," Contributed by John Conway from Scott Williams, grandson of Bess James - Written by Bunny Allen