P E R S P E C T I V E S

It's mind-boggling how one prepares for a trip to the land of one's forefathers. In my case, Lithuania is the land of my parents. So, I don't have to dig very deeply for sentiment, memories, and roots.

The only time I had made this trip was in 1983 - during the bad, old days. This was to be a trip to introduce my eldest son to an independent Lithuania. It also was to prove to him that learning the language was a worthwhile and useful endeavor in his life.

My son and I packed and planned fastidiously; conferring with everyone who had every visited Lithuania for the last five years. That encompassed nearly 25 people - mostly family members and a few total strangers who overheard one of my conversations with a sister and insisted he had the best advice to give. Naturally I listened to everyone, and packed a container-like suitcase equipped with brass locks and two cameras, just in case. We were going totally prepared.

We arrived in Vilnius and our adventure began. We met many people, saw the tourist and non-tourist sights, and stowed away the suitcase in lieu of a backpack and a carry-on to travel around the country. Everywhere we went, our eyes and minds took in the awesome history of Lithuania.

The culmination of the trip - le piece de resistance - took place on top of Gedimino Bokstas (Gedimino Tower). There, after the breathless climb, my son uttered, "Mama, I'd love to live here for a while. Wouldn't you? I feel at home here."

I wasn't exactly prepared for that kind of extreme reaction to our trip, but it was really neat to see him excited and in wonder of his heritage.

When we returned home, after we had told our families every detail of the trip, after we had sent out the film to be developed, we waited for the glorious, tangible evidence of our wonderful trip. The photos came. They were opened with shaking hands. My son and I looked at each other. He said, "We've got to go back. The photos just don't cut it." Whoever said that a picture is worth a thousand words really never went to Lithuania.