Sunday, June 1, 2014
Written one year ago today...
Written one year ago today...
Day 20 – My Return…And
Now a Break
My “working vacation” was so demanding that I
believe I might very well have earned a vacation from my vacation.
I didn’t really sleep last night. I could not easily sleep even if I had
wanted to. Light started filling
the sky over Berlin around 4 am (the sun rises before 5 am) and I decided to
venture out and make one last offering.
And yet again it was raining.
This was not one of my better trips to Europe when measured against the
weather….I think I experienced three completely sunny days if even that.
I went to the Brandenburger Tor with the hope of
making a short video piece to acknowledge the American Council on Germany as
well as my German ancestry. The
first attempt seems to have had a decent volume but I was too close to the
camera…my head was cut off at the scalp.
The second one was better regarding my appearance…but the volume seemed
too low. Regardless of what I find
when I review them closely it is the thought that counts. I honored my ancestors in a deep way
and then left in the growing morning light to make my way back to the hotel to
prepare to leave Europe.
It’s a bittersweet departure I am making. I understand more about my family of
origin now. That gives me some
greater peace. Having opened the
door to the past to confront that which had been never fully resolved I can now
face the other direction and create a better future for myself.
I
am back in Minneapolis now. It's nearly 9 pm...nearly 4 am in Berlin where I
was 24 hours ago. Indeed...24 hours ago I was preparing to venture out to make
one last offering at the Brandenburger Tor...a symbol both of German power and
unity as well as division and suffering.
I
feel complete now in a very profound way. Two years ago I opened the Maui Times
and saw an article that focused on the legacy of Nazi atrocities committed in
World War II. The German shadow seemed to loom large...and was, I felt,
inviting me in as a way of journeying to a new beginning.
Here
I am two years later...and I have made the journey. I feel much light will come
from having entered the shadow. It was painful. It was demanding. It was
exhausting. But I believe it was worth it.
The End of an Old Time has come. Now comes the
new beginning!
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I invite you to accompany me as I document my own journey of healing. My blog is designed to offer inspiration and solace to others. If you find it of value I welcome you to share it with others. Aloha!