Tajci – “Don’t Worry Mama”/”O Come O Come Emmanuel”

This is heart wrenching to me.

My grandpa in Croatia, when it was the old Yugoslavia, was arrested every Christmas for singing Christmas songs.

We as Americans take so much for granted.

Things we take for granted are simple things such as having a bathroom, having food in the house that you don’t have to kill and eat the same day (you want chicken noodle soup you go kill the chicken and then make dinner), (you want steaks then you go kill the cow and get steak), transportation, your faith and Bible, celebrating the holidays, television, voting, education, etc..

My mother was only allowed to go to school until fourth grade and my father went to school until eighth grade. We complain in the United States about school and getting an education when there are people out there that were not allowed to get an education. My parents treasure education because they were not allowed to go to school.

I’ve only visited our family in Croatia once with my parents but the visit is engraved in my memory bank forever. I would never trade my heritage, background and upbringing for anything in the world.

Sometimes I wish that I was born in Croatia and lived there a while before I came to the United States just so I could have experienced the suffering my parents endured. My mama always tells me that I should be so thankful to be born in the United States.