home sweet home

This morning I joined Simona, Maria, Cornel, Daniel and Claudia Kalanyos on a visit to their family (I had been there twice before, once on a visit this summer and once to pick them up when they moved into Casa Ana). To be expected they were very excited, and with every landmark they called out, "We're getting close!" They really didn't seem to talk much once we arrived, but enjoyed seeing their parents, siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews and grandmother and riding the homemade sled down the hill by their house. I didn't anticipate it being so cold, but the higher altitude proved me wrong and there were several inches of snow and it flurried a bit while we were there. I just cannot imagine how hard it must be for these children and their family. At one point Maria said, "We have 2 families." What a blessing to have 2 very different sets of people to love you so much, yet how awkward. I inwardly cringed as Mama Gabi was introduced as "our mom," to Mrs. Kalanyos. It was a sweet time of reunions though, with promises to try for visits around Easter.

Click on this picture to enlarge it and check out the joy on Cornel's face. Claudia is throwing a snowball at me and their little brother Zoli is hanging out at the top of the hill.

Simona with Zoli.

The kids with their oldest sister Mihaiela and her two children. She lives up the hill in the next village and didn't know that we were coming for a visit. When she came to the van to say hello her eyes were full of tears and immediately asked, "When are you coming back again?"

The Kalanyos family: Mihai, Daniel, Dad with Zoli, Cornel with nephew in lap, Maria with niece Bianca in lap, Claudia sitting in Mom's lap, Simona, Ramona and a nephew.