[Culturechat] Now, THIS is a good story (and true)

[VCR]

  On Saturday, some new Idyllers arrived here in Sachseln. Idyllers 
usually don't arrive on Saturday, but these folks are here for a week 
only. Regardless, we all sat around and talked while eating cake to 
celebrate the Norwegian National Day (when the landlady, Berit Greutert, 
is Norwegian, this takes the form of an all day party). Turns out the 
lady of the new Idyll pair was originally from Scotland. She and her 
husband now live in Newport, RI, which was a surprise to Barbara and me, 
since that is our USA home of sorts. Small world, etc. Then we learned 
that this lady, as a child, had lived in Kerns (a village near Sachseln) 
for several months. Seems that during WW II, the Red Cross took kids 
from war torn homes and farmed them out in CH for some R&R. As a six 
year old, she had spent nine months or so, after her father died in the 
war, in Kerns with a family named Egger.

The family Egger head was a doctor named Leo, and they had three girls 
and a son. Our Idyller lady remembered their names, but not the mother's 
name. Well, Albert pulls out the phone book and finds an Andre Egger in 
Kerns. Andre was the name of the youngest Egger child. Turns out Andre 
was not home, and his wife didn't know much about her husband's family. 
Arrangements were made to call another time, and that was that.

OK, today, while at the confirmation service (another story), I find 
myself sitting next to a man that I know who happens to have been born 
in,  and still lives in, Kerns. I asked him about family Egger. "Sure", 
he says, "I know Andre Egger.  He lives in Kerns, and his mother is the 
oldest citizen of the Kerns community." Whoa Boy! I passed this 
information on to Albert Greutert, who like a bloodhound with the scent, 
starts tracking. By the end of the afternoon, he has found the 95 year 
old Frau Egger, spoken with her, and made an appointment with this woman 
who remembers a shy Scottish girl who stayed with them for a few months 
as a Red Cross child.

The best part was seeing this woman get told by Albert to be ready to 
make a visit tomorrow to see a long ago foster mother. The Idyller was 
overcome to be here about 24 hours and to have a hope of finding someone 
in the Egger family, fulfilled by meeting the matriarch.

Now, even and old phart like me likes to see this sort of thing happen. 
Talk about Six Degrees of Separation?

Vance Roy 
gigli.saw@dplanet.ch
Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.			
      ---General George Patton