On the Road a Lot

I've been away from my computer a lot, traveling for business purposes. Our publishing company staffs booths at several national conventions where we try to sell our books and catechetical materials. In early April, I was in Annaheim, CA. Last week Atlanta, GA, and next week Chicago, IL. The member of our department who is in charge of these conventions retired unexpectedly and I have been asked to fill in for her.

Between all those trips I have attended two 2-day workshops, one in St. Louis and the other in Chicago. I have been in my office a total of only 8 days the entire month of April. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to get back into my own bed after so many days in strange ones.

I usually don't get into personal daily life in this blog, but on top of all the above, my apartment building has been sold. When the previous owner put it on the market I decided to begin looking for a house to buy. I love the apartment - it is right across from the Missouri Botanical Garden. My second floor balcony overlooks the garden. But I've been there three years, and I had no idea how much a new owner might want to raise the rent.

Instead, the new owner gave me a 30-day notice to vacate!

I had not been expecting that. Apparently, his loan requires him to occupy the building, and because of lease restrictions, I was the easiest person to get rid of. I have until May 1. Since I'm leaving April 30 for Chicago, it leaves me only tomorrow to move. Fortunately, I had already begun the process of working with a realtor, and so I will be staying for a few weeks with a friend, just until I can find a place I like.

Another fortunate thing is that I do like to travel...especially if it's to a place I've never been before. Perhaps I'm an explorer at heart. And sometimes I will walk and walk and walk until my legs can go no further just so I can see as much as possible.

I've had the great privilege of visiting Europe twice (I loved Germany!), Australia for a whole month, and even South Africa - which was probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

On all these trips I did not have the travel guides that Liguori publishes available to me, but they would have been a great help. Several were written by Kevin J. Wright. These two I have pictured talk about lots of different places to stay and even restaurants to visits. Some of the travel guides lead pilgrims to specific shrines in Eastern & Central Europe, Western Europe, and the United States.

I still have three places I really want to visit sometime in my life: Hawaii, Greece, and the Galapagos Islands. I don't know why, but I've always had a fascination with Greece. And since I was a biology teacher before I "evolved" into other kinds of work, I really want to see that marvelous place where Charles Darwin got his inspiration for the theory of natural selection. To get there you have to go to Quito in Ecuador. That would cover South America for me. I still need to find a place and reason to visit Asia - then I will have set foot on all the continents of the world. (And no, I'm not going to try for Antartica!)

More On Immigration

The immigration debate continues in Congress, in the media, in cities across the country, and among citizens. I recently came upon a piece written by a priest for St. Patrick's Day. Here is part of what he said:

"I can remember the excitement of my parents the night that John Fitzgerald Kennedy was elected president of the United States in 1960. I was a ten-year-old who really didn't understand the cause of their delight. They were so happy because he was a Catholic, and both of them could remember the terrible bigotry that Al Smith, a Catholic, faced in the presidential elections of 1928. Equally important, if not even more significant, was the fact that the handsome Senator from Massachusetts was of Irish descent. Both my parents were born in Ireland and had immigrated to America as young adults."

"The story of America, be you Irish, Italian, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Vietnamese, or any other nationality, is one of immigration. Almost all of us can trace our heritages to other lands. Many who landed here were escaping poverty, persecution, and only hoped to provide a better life for their families. We are a nation of immigrants."

"I often walk a path where I live in Brooklyn. It is called Shore Road and is right at the Narrows where ships come into New York and first glimpse the Statue of Liberty. Someone has scrawled graffiti on the ground that reads 'Stop all immigration now.' Those are some of the saddest words I have ever read. It is at the very place where my parents and millions of others sailed into New York and saw Lady Liberty in the Harbor. Today, I am proud to be Irish...and I am especially proud to know that I am the son of immigrants."

I can readily resonate with this reflection. Although I am 4th generation in this country, my entire family (both my Mom's and my Dad's sides) came over from Germany in the mid-1800s. My brother is adopted and is French-Canadian. The Irish, the Polish, Jewish people, and all kinds of other folks have experienced terrible discrimination against them here in "the land of the free." Now Hispanics are facing similar a plight.

Liguori Publications, where I work, is trying hard to respond to the needs of our sisters and brothers from south of the border who come here seeking what they cannot find at home. We have a whole line of products in Spanish to aid those who need our help. The traditions of these people are deeply rooted in their culture. They bring a cohesive sense of "family" that is sadly being lost among many Anglo-Americans.

Just as the Greeks, the Italians, the Africans, the French, and so many others have brought a wonderful richness into our lives as Americans, so will our Latino neighbors add a lot to what makes America the colorful and prosperous land that it is. We should welcome them with open arms.