The Tree

…

For a long time I wanted to see you again,
my old childhood friend.
There were some things I wanted to tell you
and I knew you would understand.

Christmas Liquor – Gifts Homemade

Our farm was with one foot in Italy, so Italian food and liquors could be found in our fridge and cellar all year around. I grew up enjoying the Austrian-Hungarian meals at home, and appreciated the German cooking during the week, even though it was in a boarding school, and some of the food they served seemed highly questionable.

Christmas Gems In My Memory Jar

I wish I could talk to all of the parents who worry they can’t put enough presents under the Christmas tree. I wish I could tell them about all the Christmases in my life, that are now special gems in my memory jar.

Out Here On My Own

1983, I sat in my little apartment in Vienna, Austria, and listened to a song I didn’t fully understand. My Grandma had passed away and without any family or friends, I was out there on my own. I didn’t know the big city, and the University of Vienna overwhelmed me. I was a young adult, very insecure and uncertain of my future. Equipped with invisible wings but afraid to fly.

I’ll Never Forget A Dog Named Beau

He never came to me when I would call
Unless I had a tennis ball,
Or he felt like it,
But mostly he didn’t come at all.

We Are Unfit To Adopt A Dog

When the lady told me on the phone that we cannot adopt a dog, because we don’t fulfill the shelter’s requirements, I was stunned. Sometimes the past comes back with a vengeance, this was one of the times. We have fought so hard to keep our dogs. It hurt me. It also showed me once again how much bureaucracy and strict rules can hurt the actual cause.

Life with Religion, or without? And does it matter?

Growing up in a small village in the mountains of Austria, I was raised Roman Catholic. We went to church on Sunday, because everyone else went to church. My grandma carved a cross on the back of every freshly baked bread loaf before she cut into it, and we bend our heads down before we ate, to either quietly say grace or give others the time to do so.

Feeling Ashamed of My Action!

To become old and wise at an older age, you first have to be young and silly first. I was young and very silly but not just that, there were times when I was arrogant and full of myself, phases when I thought I know it all. I looked down at people, not a conscious choice I made, it just happened. The arrogance of the youth.

A Speechless Thursday – School Essentials in the USA

I cannot change this world but I believe things would change IF we would dare to play this commercial every day on all TV channels during prime time. If we would share it on social media EVERYWHERE, it might change people’s minds. I had to watch it twice to fully understand.

Between Not Enough and Too Much

She invited me to stop at her little shop the next time my grandma and I would drive down to the village. “You come by and pick out what you want.” I could not wait. I had helped at our neighbor’s farm for days and even though I was young, my work and my assistance had been appreciated.