Imagining Grandpa Svagera Returning to the Land of His Father There are moments in life that seem almost too sacred to put into words. Not dramatic moments or loud moments, simply quiet ones that somehow carry the weight of generations. I often find myself imagining what my Grandpa Svagera must have felt the first time … Read more
I recently came across a beautiful idea found among some Native American traditions. In certain tribes, those entrusted with remembering the stories, histories, genealogies, and sacred memory of the people were sometimes referred to as firekeepers. The image has stayed with me ever since. A firekeeper was not merely someone who tended literal flames. The … Read more
There are some stories that arrive all at once. And there are others that wait quietly for decades before finally revealing themselves. Lately I have been thinking about language. Not simply vocabulary or grammar or pronunciation. But language as memory.Language as belonging.Language as identity.Language as the invisible architecture through which we first learn how to … Read more
There are rooms we pass through—and then there are rooms that hold us. Grandma’s kitchen was the latter. It wasn’t large. It wasn’t styled for magazines. The linoleum bore the soft scuffs of years. And at the center stood the table, solid, worn, and quietly beautiful, built by Grandpa’s hands. You could see it in … Read more
There is something almost unsettling about seeing an old photograph in color for the first time. A face you have only known in black and white suddenly seems closer. Skin tones emerge. Jackets and work shirts acquire texture and warmth. Eyes that once looked fixed in another century seem to belong to people who might … Read more
A continuation of Ján Švagera’s biography. Featuring his initial taste of life in America. A surprise taste of home and his coming of age.
Part 3 of “Across Countries and Cultures: A Journeyer for Truth” Reality Takes Hold The first time seeing the ocean is a profound experience for everyone. For someone who comes from a completely landlocked country though, the experience is overwhelming. The act of boarding a ship and losing sight of any land mass whatsoever is … Read more
A tribute to a beloved doctor, Tom Heywood, a look back at when doctors were like family. A eulogy for a remarkable human and simpler time.
A young boy’s recollection of the Velvet Revolution, November 17, 1989. Tears of hope and a personal family connection to history being made.
Part 2 of Across Countries and Cultures: Journeyer for Truth A Man of Many Languages Unlike many of his fellow conscripted acquaintances, Ján was well educated. In particular, he was a master multi-linguist, able to proficiently speak Czech, Slovak, German, French and Italian. This would prove to be tremendously beneficial for him as tensions continued … Read more
