My “baby” turns 21 today, and so I am unashamedly using the public forum of this blog to wish her a very happy day. Especially since her big sister left for college when my little girl was 14, Jenny and I have enjoyed a close relationship, including watching Project Runway together, swapping books and CDs back and forth, and sharing travel adventures. In fact, it was Jenny’s prompting that led to our journey to Germany in 2005.

Jenny had heard about the Catholic church’s World Youth Day events and was thrilled to learn that our church’s youth group leader would be sending a group to the 20th such event in the summer after her junior year in high school. Launched by Pope John Paul II in 1986 as a means of bringing the world’s youth together every two or three years, these week-long events are held in major cities and pilgrimage sites and often attract more than a million participants at the final day’s Mass and celebration. Now, my younger daughter is generally a fairly quiet, studious, even-keeled sort of kid, so when she gets fired up about something, you know right away that it’s important to her and she will NOT let go of it.

Such was the case with the World Youth Day in Cologne (Koln), Germany. Not only did she want to go, but she wanted to be sure that I went along as one of the chaperones. This would involve more than a year of fundraising, culminating in a week spent being responsible for corraling a bunch of kids in a foreign country–how could I not look forward to that!!? (right!) I like to believe that I am not one of those parents who can be manipulated easily, but there are some forces that simply cannot be overcome, and this time Jenny seemed to have God on her side. So it was that we found ourselves en route to Dusseldorf, Germany, in late July.

We had gotten to know the other chaperones and kids in our group quite well during multiple car washes and bake sales in the months preceding our trip, so my fears of losing someone in a biergarten along the way were allayed before we even left the States. And while not all of our experiences would be highly spiritual, they were certainly enlightening. We attended daily Mass and organized ”classes,” but the biggest, most enduring lessons came from observing the exuberant, tolerant intermingling of this amazing collection of young people from the four corners of the world and the graciousness with which they were hosted by the citizens of Koln, Dusseldorf and their surrounding communities.

The public transportation system, tremendously efficient and organized, was taxed to the limit during our stay, but patience and good humor were always in evidence. Everyone took the opportunity while wedged like sardines into the trains and buses to get to know his or her fellow riders. Smiles and email addresses were traded with kids from Argentina, Italy, Australia, Kuwait and Nigeria. Pictures were taken and life stories exchanged in hour-long waits for a restroom or a meal. It made all of us present, hosts and guests alike, realize how much we have in common and how much can be achieved in gatherings such as this. I believe it confirmed for Jenny that she wanted to continue to get out and explore the world and do what she can to help the people in it who don’t have the advantages she was born to.

And so my child is in her third year of nursing school, and next year she hopes to spend part of a term in England studying community health programs. She also intends to travel before and after her studies (as well as on long weekends), exploring as much of Europe as possible. That week in Germany in 2005 taught my introverted homebody that there is much to embrace and love and learn in the world, and it gave her the confidence to seek it. This time I won’t be her chaperone, but I will be her champion, cheering her on from home.

I wish you many years and many happy journeys, sweetie! Happy birthday!

 Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader