Tag: Czechoslovakia

Independence Day and For the Love of Country

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Cheryl's View.

It’s the fourth of July. Independence Day. This year is extra special as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday. On this very special July 4th I would like to share a story about why Independence Day is so important to me, and so near and dear to my heart.  And it begins with a story about a little boy. The boy was born on a small farm in Czechoslovakia in 1927. One year later, he and his parents left their farm and traveled across the Atlantic to begin a new life in a small steel town in Western Pennsylvania and pursue the American Dream. That dream turned into a nightmare one year later, when the little boy had a terrible accident, pulling a pot of scalding chicken soup over him, severely burning himself over 90% of his body. He spent the next six months in the hospital, with...

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Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Joyful Holidays.

Merry Christmas! No, I am not daft and I haven’t lost my mind, even though I know that’s what some of you are thinking. As some of you already might know, I grew up in a small steel town in Western Pennsylvania. My father was from Czechoslovakia and immigrated to the good old USA in 1939 at the age of 12. It was actually the second time he came through Ellis Island, but I’ll save that story for another day. Although my mother was born in the States, her parents were from Yugoslavia. Needless to say, I grew up with an interesting heritage and cultural background. Which included celebrating Orthodox Christmas with my mother’s side of the family every year. Woo-hoo! A bonus Christmas. What kid wouldn’t absolutely love that? So, every January 7th, we packed in the...

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