Patriarch

We met up with Anne's Polish roots on Friday, and we stayed with this wonderful family outside of Krakow, Tom and Agatha (My wife and Agatha's great grandmothers were sisters). They were so happy to meet us and make us feel immediately like part of the family. On saturday the 26th the family patriarch Uncle Janus came and visited, and he came in flowers for my wife with tears in his eyes and said he has been waiting 75 years for this day! It was very moving.

Tom was busy translating all day, but Janus told some great stories, and we learned alot about how much the packages Anne's family sent meant to Janus and his family when they were living under communism. For instance they would sometimes get panty hose in these packages, and one could not buy these in a communist state, his mother would then sell them and they would able to get a luxury item such as meat. It really opens your eyes as to how different this world was just 20 years ago, and really makes you thankful for something many take for granted, that we were born in a free country.

This is my wife on the left and Uncle Janus on the right.

[Melissa Pike]

This is a wonderful photo of your wife and her uncle. I bet he had some pretty amazing and sad stories. How great that you were able to hear them firsthand!