Stanisław Orzełowski's Reflections after the Reunion

Dear Relatives of the Jasiński family!

Dear Friends and Guests - all of you taking part in the Reunion!

21 July 2007 has passed into history. It was an extraordinary day. What made it so remarkable was that, like birds from beyond the seas, you flew in at my invitation to Jasionka, to your family nest.

What force could have made more than a thousand people, from the farthest corners of Poland and from beyond its borders, leave their homes and travel to the place their roots come from? Only family ties could do that, for they are strong enough to last for centuries. When the spirits of our ancestors called you, you came to Jasionka on the appointed day, heedless of the effort, the distance, the weather. The call of kindred blood told everyone to be together that day. No one forced you; of your own accord you set out on a long journey, crossing hundreds of kilometres, and some had to fly over the ocean to reach the family nest like Polish storks.

When the idea of organising a reunion of the Jasiński family first took shape in my soul, I knew it would be very hard to carry out and that I would need many helpers to bring it safely to its end. It was not easy to plant the idea in the hearts of the cousins who would labour alongside me without knowing whether our Relatives would answer the invitation and come to Jasionka on the appointed day.

Every one of you knows today how much work went into preparing this reunion. And it all began with the Family Book. As I travelled thousands of kilometres and visited hundreds of homes, I shared the thought that it would be good for us to meet, and, as the reunion song puts it, "to hug a sister and get a hug from a brother".

Today, with our reunion already part of history and each of you home from Jasionka with a heart full of warm memories, the question comes back: was it worth so much effort to spend this one day at the source? On behalf of everyone who came, I have no hesitation in saying that it was. The effort was made on both sides. The organisers made it, beginning their preparations a year and a half before the day, and so did those who had to set out the day before to reach the family gathering in Jasionka in time.

Wherever I could, I left my mark with the words "Family is a treasure". You found them in the Family Book and in the songs I wrote for the reunion. For if not family, then what better thing is there instead? Had I not known it at first hand in my own family home, I would not be speaking to you like this.

I am glad that my close relatives living nearby supported me in this difficult work. We prepared the reunion at the level I had hoped for. The programme was carried out almost 100 per cent. Divine Providence favoured us at every step as well. It really was worth the effort. What we heard from you on the day, and what I hear now on the telephone, read on the family website and in the letters sent to my address, leaves us deeply satisfied and honoured that it fell to us to prepare it.

Not even in our boldest plans did we expect that so many relatives would answer our invitation and come. More than 1100 of us met on the meadows. For Jasionka it was a great celebration, unlike anything in its 600 years. The spirits of our forefathers were with us as we walked through the village in such numbers, honouring their memory. You had to be in Jasionka that day to live through it all. Whoever was not there will not understand, because so beautiful a family event cannot be described or retold.

Thank you, dear Relatives, for that wonderful gathering in Jasionka, where our common roots lie. We all drew strength there that will help us endure and remember those who gave us life and whose legacy we draw on so richly. The symbols we left behind – the commemorative stone, the message to future generations placed beneath it, the oak planted alongside – will bear witness for centuries that we were able to gather as a family in harmony. Cherish your family ties, and never forget that family is a treasure.

My fellow organisers and I are happy that we could prepare this feast of the spirit for you. The words of thanks that reach us are the finest payment for that effort.

May God grant that we meet again one day.

With respect to all my Relatives and Guests – Stanisław (B-4115) Orzełowski, Jasiński on his mother's side.

Siedlce, 1 August 2007