Growing up, I remember my grandmother had a beautiful set of fine china. She also had those delicate Czech crystal glasses that were so popular at the time. They were kept carefully in a special cabinet with glass doors, almost like a little museum inside the house. We could see them, but we rarely used them. They came out for Christmas dinner, family celebrations, or when special guests were visiting. For everyday meals, there was another set of plates, simpler, cheaper, eas

Last weekend in Cleveland, I had the joy of visiting the Ararat Judo Center with Der Hratch and the young people from our Cleveland parish. The center is run by Ghazar, who began practicing judo in Armenia shortly after I left, training at the same school under the same coaches. The moment I stepped inside, a flood of childhood memories came rushing back. From the age of six until I was thirteen, I practiced judo. Those seven years taught me discipline, balance, patience, res

Growing up, I remember having a plastic dagger that seemed very important to me. It was only a toy, but in my imagination it was something precious. I carried it everywhere. I played with it constantly. I even slept with it beside me at night. At that age, it felt like a treasure. Today, I have no idea where that plastic dagger is. I do not miss it. I do not wonder what happened to it. Something that once seemed so important eventually became insignificant. That is how life w