The Old Country

My young nephew, Matt, and his wife, Mindy, have great fun traveling in Europe as often as they can.  Mindy's family comes from Czechoslovakia, and they're been there several times. The last time, Mindy's parents went, too; they can speak Czech.  What is the value of visiting 'the old country,' where your relatives once lived?

As far as Mindy's family is concerned, they have relatives living in Czechoslovakia now, so they can reconnect.  Their folks in Europe are very, very poor; whenever they visit, Mindy, Matt, and her parents bring extra suitcases stuffed with clothes for their relatives who are extremely grateful.

Aren't we Americans, except for our Native Americans, ALL immigrants?  What we get out of visiting our family's country of origin is a sense of permanence. Family history is very important.  Traditions passed to younger generations are very meaningful.  Staying connected to all family members is critical. At times, reconciliations have to be attempted.

Today I've watched hours of coverage on EWTN-TV of Pope Francis' visit to Albania, a European country north of Greece.  I like to listen to the Pope speak, as his Italian is translated into English.  I also enjoy the brief tour and history of the countryside wherever the Pope visits.

Albania is the birthplace of the Saint Mother Teresa, the famous nun who took care of the poorest of the poor in India.  Together with what Pope Francis said, and several of the other speakers, I found out some new things about Mother Teresa and the former Communist country of Albania.  Mother Teresa started an order of Catholic nuns, the Missionaries of the Poor, in 1950, in India.  In 2012, there were 4,500 sisters in 133 countries, including the United States, doing missionary work.  Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace prize in 1979 for her work.  She wanted to visit her birthplace in Albania but was denied by the Communist government.

Albania was taken over by Communists in 1967.  They permitted no religious practices - NONE!  This government collapsed in 1992.  The people living there today report extreme poverty due to the communists.  This was also the case when I visited Lithuania, a country in northern Europe; they despised everything associated with the Communists government, especially all the people the Communist government murdered. 

One of the priests reported that the faith of the Albanians has remained strong. Some of the people have to WALK up to three hours to get to church on Sunday. Sometimes the snow is up to their waist in the winter!  Many of the children have no shoes - even in winter.  This is true poverty, such is unknown in our country.

Next summer, I hope to visit Bavaria in Germany, where all of my mother's family originated.  On ancestry.com, I found the Naturalization Certificate (proving that a person has become an American citizen) of my grandfather's grandfather, Michael, born in Bavaria in 1813.  He was 47 years at that time, in 1860.  It is said that the Germans have kept extremely accurate records.  I hope to find more relatives and even where he is buried.

My treasured German Cuckoo Clock, actually bought in the German Pavilion at Disney World in 2011.

Dear Lord, when I sometimes would like to attend church during the week and am stopped by the thought of the heavy traffic between my home and church, please remind me of the great privilege I enjoy, of having religious freedom, and that I need to get a grip and GO!