Chasing Ideals

I arrived here in Germany on Tuesday after 24 exhaustive hours of travel with about three hours sleep, six hours of airport wanderings, and the consumption of two organic bars (courtesy of Tricia) that tasted and looked a little like chocolate covered pete moss but did the trick of energizing and masking the hunger. I apologize for the length of that sentence but the jet lag is still at work on the old brain. As insane as it sounds, tomorrow I will journey with Cathrin and her mommy Maria down to Stuttgart and some relatives of theirs living there. Another trip I know but one where I can relax and enjoy the drive and also meet new people so there are no complaints on my end. Beyond that, next week I shall return to Poland to prepare for a venture with my family there down to Croatia to soak up some sun and experience my favorite area of Europe through the eyes of others.

I want to describe some of the happenings of my time in Chicago and Milwaukee. My time in Chicago was spend primarily with my Uncle Tom (father's brother) for the first half and my grandmother (mother's mom who I affectionately call Gram Crackers) for the second. The time was spend relishing the opportunity to learn something of the history of my family on both sides and have quality time with my two relatives who made the most effort to remain a part of my family when we were living in Ireland. The two never let distance seperate and I will always admire their determination to stay connected with us. I spent many hours looking at old pictures and asking all kinds of questions about the whos, the whys, and the what happeneds.

My Uncle Tom and his stories always make me laugh, laugh in a way that I don't often do. I'm not sure if it is the style of the story telling or the content but I loved to listen. After the hectic and exhausting days of my last week in Phoenix this was the refreshing and relaxed time of connection that I needed before my journey to find home began again. We visited his children and other relatives, ate at marvelous restaurants (my Aunt Pat, his wife, is to be given the credit for much of this), but mostly just chatted which is what I had wished to do more than anything. Then with Gram Crackers there was plenty more visiting (cousins close to my age who I have not seen but who have grown and it was wonderful to talk with them and know of their lives) but again a majority of time to sit and enjoy relationship with her and to learn of the history of my family. Gram Crackers has kept an amazing record not only in photos but with memorobilia from her relatives and a treasure of letters from my mother during my parent's years in Europe. I read some of those letters as if opening a gold chest so excited to read about their adventures in much the same way some of you have enjoyed reading mine. Poor Gram Crackers was asked by yours truly to part with some of her treasures and was wonderful to allow me to take so many with me. I never want to come to a place in life of forgetting who I am which includes knowing the stories of those who came before me. As I said these experiences and moments of relationship were what I needed before returning here. I needed to not have a car so that I could not run around town as I did in Phoenix but just to sit and focus on one relationship at a time and not feel that pressure I had felt. This time was a gift and such that warmed and rejuvenated my heart.

Last Thursday evening my friend Tricia arrived in Chicago to pick me up (considering the weight and quantity of my bags this was such a gift) and bring me north to Milwaukee. She spent the night at Gram Crackers and then Friday after a marvelously relaxed morning we meandered on the roads north to Milwaukee along the coast of Lake Michigan. Tricia is a friend that like my sister Tara knows me so well and is one that I can chat with so easily. The time flew but in the best of ways spent chatting about so many elements of life and relationship with our creator. For a last three days this was the perfect culmination. An incredible and unusual amount of chat time and the chance to see Milwaukee in the throws of spring color and beauty. Right away Friday evening I visited with Tricia's boyfriend Tom and had a wonderful evening of fine food and hours of chatting around a fire. Tom like Tricia gives his all to relationships with people. I am overjoyed to see that Tricia has met someone who cares so deeply and lives his life with an integrity that others could model. Saturday was spent wandering Milwaukee's old neighborhoods and wondering how in the bleep Tricia ever moved from that place. The leaves on the trees had sprouted to life and shrouded beautifully the old homes each with a character and grace that I have sometimes forgotten the look of in a world of awful subdivisions (complete with their cookie cutter homes and devoid of community). I took a wealth of pictures after a relatively quiet week in that department. I took only a few pictures in Chicago considering and for what reason I don't know. The spring time beauty here had me snapping shot after shot of houses and seldomly of fire hydrants that accented roads beautifully. That is how Saturday was spent until evening when a visit to Tricia's best friend was commenced and enjoyed with glee. Her friend Amy cares for and takes an interest in her children's lives in a way that I hope I can mimic as a parent. She also has made herself a part of her community and the life therein. On Sunday we had a party for Mother's Day at Tricia's house complete with all but two of her siblings. It was so wonderful after years of talking with Tricia about them to finally meet nearly all and understand why they each mean so much to and in Tricia's life. The only difficulty in this was to once again have opportunity to start friendships with many new faces only to have to leave the following day and start the gargantuan journey earlier described. My hope is that now the door has been opened that I can return again to this place and have more time with all of the people therein, most especially a friend that has been of great support in my time traveling with her care and interest in my emotional and spiritual well being (it can be difficult to find friends whose utmost care is those areas).

I have added two new albums to Lovable Quirks for your visual enjoyment. I will do a more than usual amount of describing for the sake of my family. The first four in the Chicago album are pictures of the houses my parents lived in when they met each other. Those houses stand across the street from one another in an area called Roseland. Pictures 5-9 are first of the house my father grew up in and then of the area around it. The next six are of relatives on my dad's side. The fifth of those is of two of my cousins (grandchildren of my dad's first cousins). The sixth a picture of my second cousins Catherine and Joan on the right side sitting and the woman standing and woman sitting on the left daughters of Joan. The last in the album are of time with my grandmother and relatives on that side and I think my family will recognize all of them. The other album then is from the days in Milwaukee. The second half of those being of the Mother's Day party and then a visit to Tricia's friend Amy on the last evening. At the Mother's Day party we played a game called "Pin the heart on Mom" so that should explain a few of the party shots. Hope all of this was understood and the pictures enjoyed. I will post again after my return from Stuttgart if not before.