Family Visit to Hungary II – Good morning from my childhood!

The small town where Rú has spent most of his life so far—and where I grew up—was welcoming home my other son for the very first time. I know every street, every crack in the pavement, and even every shadow that hasn’t yet fallen here, and yet everything feels different now. Maybe because I no longer truly belong here, maybe because the life I’ve lived while walking these stones has changed me so much, or maybe simply because the town itself has changed.

But the essentials remain the same: the creak of the stairs in the house (and I still know exactly which step to skip if I want to sneak around), the checkered cutlery waiting on the dining table, the bird feeder, and a thousand other little memories that once made these walls my home.

Mom’s cooking, already simmering on the stove early in the morning. Listening to Dad’s stories from the hammock. The scent of freshly watered grass. A few mindful words exchanged with the neighbor.

And yet, this time, not one but three boys returned with me, and my family has become more complete.