Amy's Blog

This is the second part in a two part blog about my recent trip to Cleveland. https://amymariekc.wordpress.com/2010/08/23/cleveland/

I left for the airport at about 1:15 on Friday afternoon so that I could be there in plenty of time for my take off at 3:30.  As soon as I pulled into the economy lot, the sky got dark and the rain started coming down in sheets. The wind was so fierce that it was blowing the rain all over the parking lot making the visibility almost zero.  The shuttle kept driving past me because it couldn’t see me and I couldn’t see it with enough warning to get out and flag it down. After being passed by several times, I realized that I was going to have to brave the weather or risk missing my flight.  I got out of my car and got my luggage from my trunk. The wind was blowing the rain so hard that I was soaked from head to toe by the time I finally flagged down the shuttle.

Lucky for me I didn’t have to check a bag and had already printed my boarding pass online so I was able to head straight for the gate. My flight was 20 minutes behind schedule because of the storms, so I was able to make a stop in the restroom and blow dry my hair. I still had to board the plane wearing wet clothes.  I dozed off for a few minutes before we landed about 30 minutes behind schedule.

My cousin Janet, Uncle Bob’s oldest daughter, met me at the airport and we headed straight for Parma Tavern where the rest of our family awaited us. Uncle Bob was there with Sister Ginger, my Grandma, and Tom and Mary Ann.  Mary Ann’s mother and Grandma’s mother were sisters. Tom and Mary Ann live in Maine and made the 800 mile trip to Cleveland because Grandma had asked Mary Ann to be her sponsor when receiving her name. Parma Tavern was a very interesting place to go with my 87 year old grandma, 84 year old uncle and 80 year old aunt. Everyone ordered fried fish and beer. I ordered water and a salad and a grilled wrap….I would.

The next morning, I found some trails close to where we stayed and went on a nice run in the cool weather. It was a nice way to prepare for the busy day a head. 

The ceremony was to take place at 10:30 on Saturday morning, so we got to Uncle Bob’s house at about 9:00. The back yard was AWESOME. They had a tent set up for all of the food for the “feast” to take place after the ceremony. Several people made meat, salads, side dishes, and desserts.  Another tent had about 6-8 tables set up with chairs. As I walked further through the yard, I made my way through the trees to the prayer circle that Rich and the girls had created for the ceremony site. Check out my pictures on facebook to get an idea of what I am talking about. I cannot do the beauty of the space justice in this blog post.  About 40 people came to watch the 10 of us receive our Indian names.

Linda and Rocky showed up and got the ceremony started. Rocky started a fire in the prayer circle and explained the significance of the ceremony and all of the indian rituals that are a part of it and what they mean.  After that and the creation story, the naming took place.  Grandma received her name first. Linda named Grandma. I don’t remember the Potawatomi name, but the translation was “precious woman”. 

Rocky called me up next, and gave a several minute talk, almost a roast of sorts, of me.  What was funny was everything he said was right on the money even though we had only met for a brief moment a few times, so he doesn’t really know me personally. He said that he and Linda had a long discussion about what my name was to be and they settled on Nashok Maket. The simple translation is “helper”. He explained that I don’t just lend a hand, I actively seek out people to help and helping others is the core of who I am as a person. It was really moving.  Then Uncle Bob and Grandma stood up as my sponsors and promised to help guide me through on my life’s journey with my new name, etc. 

The other eight relatives, Ellen, Lakota, Elan, Maureen, Matthew, Erin, Max, and Maor all received their names after Grandma and I. It was emotional for me to see Lakota and Elan receive their names as the last time I saw them was two years ago at their father’s funeral. Jose died of cancer leaving Ellen to raise the two teenagers on her own. They are such beautiful and bright people.  It was also so neat to see Max and Maor receive their names as young children.

I definitely wasn’t expecting it to be such an emotional experience. I wish that I would have understood the importance of the ceremony before making the trip as I wasn’t fully prepared. For instance, most gave gifts to their sponsors, which I didn’t do.

After the naming took place, we all gathered in the tent for the feast. Lets just say I went all out. The highlight of the meal was Erin’s cherry pie. She had never made pies before and made six cherry and apple pies! The fresh cherry pie was so delicious with the scoop of vanilla ice cream!

We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting and it was a blast! I don’t get to see the Ohio relatives very often, so this was a very special treat.  We also don’t see Tom and Mary Ann often, so it was very special for me to get to know them better.  It was also great getting to talk to Linda and Rocky one on one. Most of the time I meet them at an event where there just isn’t an opportunity for more than a hello and a handshake. 

That evening we just all sat in Uncle Bob’s living room in awe  of the experiences of the day.

Sunday morning, we all went to Mass at Uncle Bob and Janet’s parish, St. John Bosco.  The liturgy was beautiful with lots of music and singing. The homily was so fitting to close out a weekend with family…it was all about love. After Mass and a nice visit with the pastor, Uncle Bob announced that he would like to take the seven of us out to brunch. Well, of course I got excited, we all know how much I love brunch! http://www.facebook.com/thebrunchclub

https://amymariekc.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/the-brunch-club/

We went to the 100th Bomb Group restaurant across the road from the Cleveland Airport. The theme was all about the 100th Bomb Group from World War II.  They had old planes out front and  a lot of World War II memorabilia inside. They also had huge picture windows where you could watch airport planes take off. The food selection on the brunch buffet was phenomenal. I tried several things and also enjoyed a glass of champagne.  The best part of the whole experience was that we weren’t rushed at all. We had a leisurely meal and great conversation. I love not being in a hurry at a place like that because I can eat slowly and let my food digest which gives me an opportunity to try several things!

After our meal we went to the cemetery to see where Aunt Joyce was buried. The cemetery is in a beautiful area and the stone that they put up was beautiful.  By the time we finished at the cemetery, it was time for me to pack up and get to the airport. We all went back to Uncle Bob’s where I said my good-byes to Uncle Bob, Janet, Sister Ginger, Grandma, and Tom and Mary Ann. Grandma and I got a little teary eyed.  They were going to continue their visit to Monday, but I had to leave to get back to work.

The trip home was interesting. As I walked into the Cleveland airport after Janet dropped me off, my suitcase broke….this is not the first time this has happened to me on a trip. When I boarded the plane, my favorite purple purse broke. When I got on the shuttle to go back to the parking lot in Kansas City, I realized I didn’t have my keys.  I lost them somewhere on the trip. Luckily I had an extra set in my car and the parking lot security was able to break in.

I made it back in one piece and am very grateful that I have all of these great memories from such a great weekend with my family in Cleveland.