July 22, 2009

July 22, 2009

In a six-day stint in Indianapolis, there was more to see and do than time for it to be accomplished. It was a very short and sweet tour of my hometown. Thankfully, my brother and his wife hosted me for this round of visits and I was able to see old friends around the time of a wonderful wedding celebration. Certain goals were in mind before the trip. The main goal was to clean out my things from my parent’s house. Another goal was to research how to file taxes from abroad. Other goals included meeting up with friend and seeing the city in a new light. The agenda was more or less fulfilled with a few surprises, laughs, and banana grams.

Upon landing in the airport, I sensed how developed and progressed this city has become. The new airport is shaped much like a new European style airport and offers relaxing artistic touches around each corner. My favorite was an area close to the new baggage claim that features furniture created from vintage suitcases. Outside there are fields of grass so well manicured that it might be mistaken for a miniature golf course. On the drive to my brother’s house, I observed the development of homes around the downtown area and development of shops and museums. Currently, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is hosting an exhibit on treasures from King Tut’s tomb and other finds in various ancient excavation points throughout Egypt. The giant statues that surround the exterior of this museum are life-like and inviting.

The first day was cleaning day. The afternoon was spent going through boxes in my old room and handing them to Natalie with instructions of trash, goodwill, donations to a specific party, or ship to Czech Republic. In a few hours, the room was cleared its wall of boxes and all drawers were emptied. My sewing machine is still there, but the cost of shipping is too much. I am asking it to travel with my next future visitor. The rest is history. There is no greater joy than knowing that the stuff you’ve collected in life is ultimately stuff and realistically a burden for families to clean once life passes. A few jewels stay for generations, but even those need to be kept at a BARE minimum to really stand out and shine.

Many letters were accumulated throughout the years and the most important ones were saved. My grandparents, parents, brothers, friends, and distant relatives wrote such letters to me. One set of letters was from my great Uncle Eddie, who is Evelyn’s brother. We started corresponding from the time that I met him at Florence’s funeral until his death just a few years later. He was around for only the day of the funeral, but his straightforward way of talking with soft smiles impressed me greatly. I wanted to share parts of my life with him in letters and a few drawings. In return he shared news of Florida such as the weather and life on his property. At the end of his first letter, he included $100 and a note that “Here’s some money and if you need anymore, just ask your grandparents. They’re loaded”.

I never expected anything more than correspondence with a newly discovered fabulous relative. His writing was always so fresh and inviting that his death came with a great blow to my heart. It was a similar unexpected feeling to how I felt when George Carlin died. His funeral was in Michigan where I first met his daughters and grandchildren. I’m not sure how their relationship was with their father/grandfather. He was private and realistic, but I’m sure it was a difficult time for them. Although our time in knowing one another was short, Eddie made a greater impact in my life than any of my other great aunts or uncles.

Another set of letters that was saved came from my grandfather Ralph. His beautiful cursive writing is instantly recognizable. His words were also fresh and realistic, but they were deeply personal. He wrote frequently to family and friends. The art of writing was one of his greatest masteries and in an age where writing feels like a lost art, he provided the greatest inspiration to keep contact. Evelyn lost more than just her greatest love and support when Ralph died. She grieves every day very privately. Perhaps just as privately as Ralph’s letters dictated to those he loved most.

Three boxes were shipped back to the Czech Republic and one suitcase was filled with its maximum weight for travel, (23 kilos or 50 pounds). I invited people to come and take whatever they liked and a few ladies came. The parts most enjoyed in this trip were the meetings of friends and families. By getting rid my material goods, these meetings were even more enjoyable.