Finding Never Land

Almost giddy with excitement...I can barely live through the next day and a half. We leave June 6, and by 7:00 AM (Ireland time) Monday June 7, we will be in the Shannon Airport, trudging, I am sure off the plane...and letting our adrenaline fuel us through the day. And though we physically start our journey on June 6, we've been on this journey for a lot longer. Preparations for traveling for the both of us has been tough. We are mothers of young children, and therefore have had to not only get ourselves prepared, but prepare our children and their caretakers. We are leaving for eleven days. And the stress of putting everything in place has been tantamount. I can not imagine, the stress that Irish immigrants must have felt trying to prepare to leave their homes, most likely, forever. I am only leaving my children for eleven days, some Irish were leaving their families for months, years, and perhaps forever. It must have torn at their heartstrings to do so. There is nothing, that I can foresee, that would take me away from my family for that long. I am sure that almost everyone would say the same thing. Life must be near unbearable to have to separate family members. But that is exactly what Irish families found themselves having to do. What courage these immigrants had... to know that they must tear themselves away from all that they knew, loved and cherished, in order to keep the family alive. Preparing for this trip alone, has increased my admiration and empathy for the Irish immigrants of the past.

It's been a long time since I have been a "foreigner" - someone new to a place- unfamiliar with local customs, beliefs and ways. Is this how the Irish felt upon waiting for their ship to leave the harbor on their way to the United States? I can't but imagine what I am feeling is similar to how some immigrants must have felt...adventure, excitement, anxious and even unsure. But unlike the Irish, I will be coming home. If I feel lonely and out of place, if I miss my children and my bed...it will only be for eleven days. This is not forever. But for most Irish, these are feelings that they would also feel, but they wouldn't be able to alleviate their pain by "flying" home for a visit.

My children have been enjoying the story of Peter Pan for months now. In the Walt Disney version of the story, when Peter is teaching Wendy, Michael and John to fly, he tells the three to think of wonderful things....Wendy thinks of a mermaid lagoon, Michael thinks of an Indian warrior and John thinks of a pirate cave. When the children reach Never Land...it is exactly like the three Darling children imagined it would be. But I can't think but wonder, would Never Land have been the same if the three children were not Wendy, Michael and John? Does Never Land become what you want it to? Did the Irish find their Never Land in the United States? I know, from the history books, that the streets of America were not paved in gold, as some immigrants were led to believe. But, did they find what they sought? Will my trip to Ireland live up to my expectations? Will I fall in love with the geography of the land, the people, the customs, traditions and the sheep and cows in the road...just like I have heard that I will? Will I find what I seek... Is Ireland the Never Land that I imagine it will be? Just like the Irish must have had to do when they left their harbor, I will have to trust in the fact that Never Land does exist, but perhaps not my exact Never Land, and that going into the unknown will change my life.

Noel