Footprints from Long Ago

Beate Brigid Schilcher

by Beate Brigid Schilcher

Story
Vienna 1937 – 2023

We read a book, the news or our partner’s mind. What if we read our home’s story, the message between the nooks and crannies of the walls that surround us? Storytelling starts with how it began. The history of a building is like the roots of a tree. It is the foundation for those who live there. What goes around, comes around. Events and circumstances leave their footprints. So, knowing your home’s history could explain certain occurrences in your life.

The turnaround: Rita’s parents owned a flourishing hotel in the countryside. Their restaurant was always sold out, with guests from near and far. Rita and her sisters worked in the family business from early childhood on, contributing to the growing wealth of the family. As adults, the sisters chose different careers and moved away. When her parents died, Rita had just finished her training as a primary care physician. She and her husband moved back to Rita’s home village. They closed the hotel and redesigned the building to meet the needs of a family home. They also incorporated an office for Rita to see patients. It became a huge success. From day one, patients from near and far lined up, providing a safe financial foundation for the family. – Rita could have failed to attract enough patients. But in this happy end, it seems that the energy of excellent service, a potent social network plus financial affluence had come with the place – no matter its purpose.

The tricky landlord: The ease with which Ella found her rental apartment made clear: It was meant for her. Built in the 1870s and located in a favorable Vienna neighborhood, it provided the spaciousness and high ceilings that Ella loves. Soon after moving in, the house owner tried a trick to change existing rental agreements. Ella would have to either pay above market value, move out or settle the case in court. After years of unpleasant legal procedures, a judge decided against the house owner. He sold the building.

Years later, Ella learned that, long before she was born, a Jewish family had been brutally evicted from her building. Their apartment was handed over to non-Jews. Ella was aware of the expropriation and deportation of Jewish citizens during the Nazi regime. Yet, she was shocked to hear of evictions in her closest neighborhood. Had her apartment also been affected? With records missing, research showed no result. The uncertainty troubled her. Then, in a dream, Ella was shown a Menorah, the Jewish candelabrum, hidden inside a wall of her apartment, and she was told that someone who lived here had moved to a country “in the far west”. – Ella gave thanks to the unknown previous inhabitants. She regularly lights candles to honor them. With a stressful family history herself, Ella feels that she has “arrived” in a place that takes care of her. So she continues to take care of her place.

Can past injustice be corrected that much later? Who knows. I have come to believe that places call us in, either to be healed by us or to heal us. Healing starts by acknowledging what happened, no matter how long ago. As we learn about circumstances, we turn into their witnesses. That in itself, says trauma therapy, initiates the process of healing. – Every story has a deeper message of some sort. Why not read your home’s story? It may surprise you.

Step #2 = EXPLORE

© Beate Brigid Schilcher 2024-01-06

Genres
Novels & Stories
Moods
Challenging, Emotional, Hopeful, Inspiring, Reflective
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