Seed of Sarah - Epilogue - Return to Kaposvar

Kaposvar, Hungary - July 3-July 9 1977

I found it interesting that her daughter and one of her sons (the only ones with family names) had recurring nightmares as children. Mr.Hayashida also talked about something of a curse.. Could this be the same type of thing? They also say that the disposition of a child is somewhat determined by the state of the mother during those 9 months before birth -- Surely Jutka was stressed.. Could this have also lead to their nightmares?

I know how strong Jutka is, but I still found it amazing that she was able to go back there and laugh with friends about old times, walk the streets without weeping incessantly, and walk through the homes of the friends and family she once adored and know that essentially nothing remained of their possessions or personal touches that had added to the house it once was. I found it interesting how that one song being played in a restaurant set off that internal tumult, as if attending her father's funeral. She has seen so much death and yet the memory of her Papa still brings so much pain to her heart.

Another thing that I've noticed about this book is that they think of family in a much different way than we do now. They died for eachother, protected one another, and did everything that was possible to keep eachother going. That entire family, and most of the families around them, were completely selfless, and that's a beautiful thing. Most of this generation can not look eachother in the face and say that they would die for their mother, brother, sister, uncle, even a grandparent's safety. We would probably say that we would try to help them, but how does that compare to what Jutka and her family did on a daily basis. They risked everything they had just to get a better meal that day. They would barter off bits of bread to make someone's outfit look or feel more like it would have at home. A lot of us don't know that kind of selfless giving, and probably won't until something ultimately changes our lives so dramatically that anything even remotely negative towards those we love will seem totally foreign. We as a nation, and a generation, need to treasure those around us and take nothing for granted. Whether or not this will happen remains to be seen, but I'm looking forward to a day when I can honestly say that I am one of those people, without having any reserves. It will be a remarkable day when someone in power can say that as well.