Conversations I Wish I Could Have

The other night, some of my friends and I had an interesting conversation about who we would want to meet if we could. It was quite thought-provoking, really. In our conversation, we decided that everyone we said had to be someone who wasn't related to us, but for a while I could only think of relatives who I’d want to meet! So, I came up with two lists of ten people that I would want to talk to, if I could. The first list is of deceased loved ones who I would love to talk with. So, here goes:

1. Michelle: Yes, my big sister would definitely be at the top of my list. I think about her very often and wonder how different my life might be if she were still here. I’d love to hear her perspective on everything—life, death, and in between. I would love to have a sisterly chat with her just like those that I have with Gina and Emily, and know just what she thinks of our family now, especially Gina and Emily’s boys. I’d just love to get to know my big sister.

2. Grandpa Hladik: I've always felt like I had a soul connection with Grandpa Hladik. He was a WWII Veteran who loved to pray the Rosary, and being that WWII is my favorite historical period and I love to make/pray rosaries, so I think it’s fairly obvious why I feel so connected with him. I’d love to hear his war stories and mostly just soak in his wisdom he gained through his life. I’d also love to talk about God, and, as weird as it might sound, pray with him.

3. Grandma Hajek: Grandma Hajek was Mimi’s mother, and she was my mom’s favorite person in the whole world. I've been told that I have her eye color, so I would want to admire her eyes from the outside in. She was also very opinionated, so I’d love to hear what she had to say about almost anything. I’d love to hear her talk about what Mimi was like as a child, or even what my mom was like in her younger years.

4. Grandpa Rudy: Grandpa Rudy died when I was eleven, so I actually did know him, although for most of my life, he was in poor health, and I was never completely sure what to talk to him about. Now, I’d want to hear his philosophies on life and just listen to him talk about his life. I’d want to ask him about what it was like when he and Mimi dated and why he wanted to marry her. I’d love to know his childhood stories and all about my mom, aunts, and Uncle Larry when they were younger. I’d really just like to get to know everything about Grandpa Rudy!

5. Grandma Hladik: Grandma Hladik also died when I was eleven, so I also knew her fairly well. Like Grandpa Rudy, for the better part of my life, Grandma wasn't in the best health. I’d love to talk to Grandma about when she married Grandpa Hladik, just to hear her perspective on the story I've heard for my entire life. (Grandpa was stationed in Massachusetts before leaving for the war, and he wanted Grandma to come visit him…Grandma told him that the only way she’d come is if they were married, so Grandpa found a Catholic church and an Army buddy/his wife for witnesses, and they were married!) I’d like to hear about what it was like raising seven children, and I’d love to hear her stories about my dad when he was younger, and just learn more about her life!

6. Grandpa Hajek: Grandpa Hajek was Mimi’s father, and he has, what I consider to be, one of the most fascinating stories of all my ancestors. You see, he was born out of wedlock in Vienna, Austria, and his mother left him with relatives when he was a child so that she could immigrate to the United States. When she saved enough money, she’d send for him. The time he spent waiting was terrible, as he was treated poorly for being born out of wedlock, and was often forced to steal so that he could have food to eat. At sixteen, he could finally join his mother in the US and live the American dream. He eventually met Grandma Hajek, got married, had a large family, and ended up owning a service station in Hennessey. Mimi always told me that he would tell her that he never knew what love was until he met Grandma Hajek and had children. I’d like to hear his perspective on all of these stories. I’d love to hear about his impressions of the US and really just know about who he was when he was here.

7. Great-Grandpa Hladik: Great-Grandpa Hladik was my Grandpa Hladik's dad. I’m not entirely certain about where he stands in my family immigration history, but I believe his parents were among my ancestors who emigrated from Czechoslovakia. My dad told me a story about how his family was so poor that they were forced to grind down a type of grain that was similar to milo just so that they could have flour to make bread. Once his mother made the bread, it looked just like any other loaf of bread, but apparently, it tasted TERRIBLE! I would be interested to learn about the resourcefulness he learned have, and what it was like to settle in Oklahoma.

8. Mr. Blakley: Mr. Blakley was a wonderful man whose life was cut short by most people’s standards. He was my high school science teacher, a fellow St. Joseph-ite, a neighbor, and a dear family friend. What I’d really like to talk to him about is teaching. He was very insightful about the ways of students and about knowing how to talk about the really important things. I’d love to get any and all advice he could give me about teaching, because I know that he’d tell me more than just the horror stories that people always tell pre-service teachers to scare them away for fear of seeming incompetent in comparison. He was always good at encouraging new teachers and giving good, practical advice about how to care for students, especially those who really needed some TLC.

9. Fr. Quant: Father Quant just passed away last year, and I still feel the sting of his death. He was a dear friend of mine, and probably one of my best spiritual advisers. He taught me lots about the Catholic faith and was the first person who taught me how to find joy in growing in my faith. I’d just like to talk to him about life and get his opinion on everything happening in my life right now, especially in a couple situations. I would like that more than anything.

10. My unborn sibling who was miscarried: Not many people know this, but my mom had a miscarriage between Gina and Emily. I’d love to meet this other sibling of mine, who God called back before we could ever know him or her. Perhaps this child was the brother I never had, I’m not sure. I’d just love to know and embrace them with all of my sisterly affection. That would also be perfect.

Wow, this is really getting sad/deep, so I’ll move on to my second list, which consists of non-related people I’d love to meet. The main twist on this list is that not all of them are deceased! They’re just famous people I’d love to have a conversation with. This was more along the lines of my conversation with my friends that sparked this post initially! Oh, by the way, we made the initial stipulation that people like Jesus or Mary were givens, so we couldn't include them on our list! So, here goes!

1. Lucille Ball: I've always loved Lucille Ball’s work in “I Love Lucy”. That is one of my all-time favorite TV shows, and I’d just be interested to know the brains behind it. Lucille had quite the interesting life and I’d like to know just what it was like to be one of the pioneers of the TV industry and an American icon!

2. John Krasinski: Honestly, I really don’t care about modern-day celebrities because I already think that they have too much attention lavished upon them. I don’t think that we should put celebrities on such a pedestal, because they’re really just people like the rest of us, and I’m sure that many of them would like to be treated like that. (I’ll spare you the rest of my soapbox, but that is just the tip of the iceberg!) Okay, with that being said, I have a few exceptions—John Krasinski is one of them! :) For those of you who don’t know/remember, he is the guy who famously played Jim Halpert on my favorite show, “The Office”. He is my one and only celebrity crush, and I think that he is quite dreamy! I also think that he probably has a great, somewhat snarky sense of humor, which I would love! I’d also just love to hear his stories about filming the show and all kinds of behind-the-scenes stories about other characters! I’d love that so much!

3. St. Catherine of Siena: Did you really think that I could make it through the list without any saints/Catholic figures? Nope! St. Catherine was my confirmation saint, and I love what little I know about her life. You see, she was highly influential in bringing the head of the Catholic Church back to Rome, and she used her gift of faith to bring about good changes in the Church. I just bought her autobiography and I cannot wait to learn even more about her life!

4. Pope Francis: Maybe this is another cop-out answer, but yes, I would LOVE to meet the Pope! I’d love to just sit and soak in his joy/spirituality/humility. I’d love to get his advice on life, and basically just have a long life chat with him! I’d love to hear his stories from his younger years, especially about how he has grown in his faith throughout his life. I’d love to hear what his initial reaction was to being chosen for the papacy, and just what he thinks needs to be done to better the Church as a whole today.

Pope Francis...with a lamb! I love this so much :)

5. Fr. Stanley Rother: For those of you who have never heard of Fr. Rother, he was a priest from Okarche who grew up as a simple farm boy and never showed any real signs of wanting to be a priest until he was an adult. He struggled all throughout seminary, and I’m not sure that many people actually thought that he would ever make it to his ordination, and perhaps questioned his abilities thereafter. One of his first parish assignments was at a place in southern Oklahoma, where he was moved mostly for the fact that they needed a priest who was handy with carpentry. This was by no means a compliment to him. However, he was later asked to travel to a mission in Guatemala in a village called Santiago Atitlán. During his tenure at the mission, he brought about a profound change in the people’s faith, while working to help them amid the oppression of their government. At some point, Fr. Rother was brought back to Oklahoma out of fear for his safety. He hated to be separated from the people he had come to love, and famously told the Archbishop of the OKC Archdiocese that "the shepherd cannot run at the first sign of danger." Thus, he returned to Guatemala even though the guerrilla army threatened his life. Shortly after his return, he was killed in the dark of night, and is now on the road to sainthood, as a martyr. I’d love to listen to him talk about all that he experienced in Guatemala, both good and bad.

This has always been my favorite picture of Fr. Rother!

6. Pat Monahan: Okay, this is kind of a cop-out. Pat Monahan is the lead singer of one of my favorite bands, Train. I’d mostly like to meet him just so that I could have a private concert and listen to him sing all of my favorite songs! I’d also like to hear the stories behind the songs that he wrote! But I’d mostly like to hear him sing :) 

7. Isaac Slade: This follows from the previous one…Isaac Slade is the lead singer of The Fray, and I just want to listen to him sing their songs and play the piano (He’s a gifted pianist, also!). Yes, that’s pretty much what I would want if I met him. I’m in heaven already!!!

8. Anne Frank: I am particularly fascinated with WWII and the Holocaust. I always have been for some reason, (See my particular love for Grandpa Hladik…) and when I was a third-grader, my mom bought me a book about Anne Frank’s life. I found it delightfully tragic, if that makes sense. I was in awe of the bravery of her and her family as they exiled themselves to a back room of a Dutch lady named Miep Gies while living amid the persecution of Nazi Europe. On the other hand, it was heart-breaking and eye-opening to learn of all the tragedies she incurred at such a young age. Learning about the Holocaust was probably the best thing I could have learned about when I was ten. Although I've read her diary and multiple books about her life, I'd love to just talk to Anne and learn from her young wisdom.

9. St. Thérèse of Liseux: I just finished reading her autobiography, and, let me tell you, it was absolutely fantastic. She always strived to live in a state of holiness and perfection. She faced many health issues from a young age, but lived with the perpetual desire to join the convent where her sisters resided. When she was fifteen, she began striving earnestly to join, even if the rule was that she had to wait a few more years. The priests and leaders of the convent told her that she was far too young, but told her that if she gained the permission of the pope that they would consider it. On a pilgrimage to Rome, she asked the Pope for his permission, and that began her entry into the Carmelite order. She was often very sickly, but in the last few years of her life, it was requested by her sister, who was mother superior of the Carmelites at the time, that she would write her life story. St. Thérèse had excellent insights into suffering and holiness overall, which is much of what I’d like to discuss with her. Also, she just went up and talked to the pope about being a nun, even though she was told not to…anyone who does that is pretty awesome, in my books!

10. Sr. Lucia of Fatima: If you know anything about me, it’s good to know that I have a devotion to the Marian apparition in Fatima, Portugal in May 1917. I feel that I have a deep connection with it, and would love nothing more than to have a conversation with Lucia, one of the three children chosen to receive the life-changing message from Mary. I’d love to know what it was like living in the world after having a profound encounter with the Mother of Jesus.

So, there it is. Twenty people I’d like to meet and talk with, dead or alive. I encourage you to think about this, and even formulate a list like this of your own. Even more, I encourage you to learn all that you can about your family members, living or deceased. As for people who aren't family, I suggest reading about them and learning from their lives! Lots of good things to ponder about!