Closer Than I Knew
<http://www.guideposts.com/story/mysterious-ways-homesick-student>http://www.guideposts.com/story/mysterious-ways-homesick-student By Natalie Garibian, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida January, 2004 I was a college junior on my year abroad in Paris. It should have been wonderful. It wasn’t. Everything was so different: the clothes, the food, the language. I longed for somethinganythingfamiliar. My tight-knit Armenian family was in Florida, thousands of miles away. One Sunday I called to say hi. Their voices on the telephone were the first familiar sounds I’d heard in weeks. I cried after I hung up. I’d never felt so homesick before. If only I were close to someone here, I thought. I took a walk across town. I’d passed the Armenian church in Paris many times before, but had never gone in. I realized that back in America, my family would be going to church too. Maybe being there now would make me feel closer to them. I took a seat in the back pew just as the service started. I looked around. The priest, the prayers, the faces in the congregationthis church was a lot like my family’s church in Florida. For now, these people will be my family. Please, God, let me feel that. I looked up and saw an old woman coming slowly up the aisle, leaning heavily on a cane. I asked herin Armenianif she wanted to sit. She nodded and I slid over. The old woman bowed her head, losing herself in prayer. I tried to pay attention to the service, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. There was something familiar in her face; she could have been my own grandmother. But I didn’t know this woman. She noticed me staring and smiled. “You’re not from here, are you?” she whispered. “No,” I said. “I come from the United States.” She nodded. After a moment, she said, “I’ve lost touch with them, but I used to have some nephews in Americain Florida. Sarkis, Dikran and...” A lump rose in my throat. I knew exactly what she was going to say. “Ara,” I finished. “Ara Garibian. My father.” The old woman took my hand. “Asdudzo kordz,” she whisperedGod’s work. “I am your great-aunt. We are family.” <*}}}>< <http://www.holypostage.com/>Custom Faith-based U.S. Postage <*}}}>< + <*}}}>< <http://astore.amazon.com/halthekin-20>Catholic on Amazon <*}}}>< <*}}}>< <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/on+allposters+today.html>on AllPosters today <*}}}>< + <*}}}>< <http://www.holypostage.com/>Holy Postage <*}}}>< <*}}}><<http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Half the <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Kingdom!<*}}}>< + "A person is a person, no matter how small." Dr. Seuss <*}}}>< <http://www.holypostage.com/>Custom Faith-based U.S. Postage <*}}}>< + <*}}}>< <http://astore.amazon.com/halthekin-20>Catholic on Amazon <*}}}>< <*}}}>< <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/on+allposters+today.html>on AllPosters today <*}}}>< + <*}}}>< <http://www.holypostage.com/>Holy Postage <*}}}>< <*}}}><<http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Half the <http://www.halfthekingdom.org/>Kingdom!<*}}}>< + "A person is a person, no matter how small." Dr. Seuss --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Please note that I do not send or open attachments sent to this list. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Catholics on Fire" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Catholics-on-Fire May the blessing of Jesus and our Blessed Mother be with you -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
