Friends,She has always been a sweet lady, enjoyed by all who meet her. She's feisty and tenacious--and my brother Rick and I have always called her the "Indomitable Battle-Axe." At 87, she's wittier than ever and is a voracious reader. She's my mom, Iris, and today is her birthday.
Last year, Rick asked her if there was one more place abroad where she would like to travel--perhaps as a family trip, and she said that she always wanted to visit her ancestral home country, Hungary. While she is second-generation American on that side of the family, she had always heard stories about life in the old country--in this case, Miskolc, about two hours east of Budapest. There's not much left there of the Jewish population--local pogroms and the Holocaust ravaged what had once been a vibrant and culturally rich community.
This Saturday, I and my two children (in their late teens), wife, brother and sister-in-law will be Iris's entourage, as we visit Hungary--Miskolc, Eger, and Budapest, which is often called "Paris of the East."
I have always wanted to visit Budapest, but now I have a very special reason to go. We will see Hungary through her eyes, listen to her recount the few stories she heard growing up--one of which involves a cousin serving as the concubine to an Austro-Hungarian ruler--all the while saddened that my father, who passed away five years ago, can only be there with us in spirit and memory.
I know that this trip will leave us all with memories we will cherish for the rest of our lives and that Iris's stories and extraordinary humor and grace will continue on to my children and their children, passing forward an enduring legacy.
Happy Birthday Iris! This trip will be great, but being with you has always been a trip!
Bob
p.s. I will be trying to post a blog while traveling, but I plan to post to Twitter as well: majorgiving
Photo Credit: Daria Stein
