RELATIVE VALUES

Early in July a cousin and I went south to the United States to visit with 3 of our Parent’s Cousins. I had always considered them Aunts, but they are probably all Second Cousins, since they were First Cousins to our Mothers (who were Sisters). 

Our Grandmothers were Sisters and two of these Cousins were related to us through this Grandmother of theirs. The other was related to us through her Father, who was a Brother to our, and their, Grandmother.

I always like to remember that although they emigrated to the United States and others of the family emigrated to Canada, they had lost touch with each other for about 20 or more years. It fascinated me that by chance, a year after the American Sister died of a blood clot, someone from the Church here returned and told our Grandparents that he thought he had met some of our relatives. Letters followed and soon enough a road trip to Pennsylvania took place.

One Aunt/Cousin said that they could hardly believe the family resemblance of our Grandmother to their Mother. Sadly, their Mother had died, before they met again in North America, but nevertheless, suddenly they had more Family members. What a wonderful visit that must have been. I wish I could have been there myself.

The immigrant experience is a fascinating one to study. The American Economist Thomas Sowell writes about it in some of his books*. I am particularly interested in what he has to say about people who cannot return ‘home’ again and how different their experience must be from those who came strictly for economic improvement and hope someday to return and  ‘go home’ to retire in the ‘old country’.

For those escaping or emigrating because of oppression or to escape enslavement and persecution, Immigration is severing the ties forever and most often means seeing your Parents for the last time. When there is no going back, you necessarily face the stark reality that you must make a new home as there is no return possible in the foreseeable future to your native land.

Our Family was of the latter group. There was nothing to go back to. One group of Invaders after another occupied our country through many centuries of history. Among them the Lituanians, the Polish, The Austro-Hungarian empire, and lastly and perhaps for the longest and most insidiously, the Russians (in whatever manifestation of that empire you grew up with).

We are now in our new countries for more than a 100 years. Most, if not all of us, have only tenuous connections with our Grandparent’s native land. Few of us have visited there. We eat the food, do the dances, celebrate elements of the culture and teach our children to respect the traditions. Many/most of us have North American educations and lifestyles.

The news, whether Chernobyl, or the current insinuation and stealthy occupation by Russia, reminds us to be grateful and appreciate that we have been born into lands where we can be free.

Somewhat wistfully, we thank God and our Forefathers from removing us to freer nations despite the sacrifices this required them to make.

As we learn about our predecessor’s and meet members of the present generation, each of us knows we have a great deal to be thankful for.

Now, with only a few members of our Mother’s (and Father’s) generation remaining, we meet them again with warmth in our hearts and many wonderful memories of their visits to us, ours to them, and the important role they played in our lives. They connected us to our past and introduced us to a long and happy future.

Endless Memory.

*Thomas Sowell – Migrations and Cultures – A World View - 1996.