Lessons from Austria

Yes, it is that time of the semester....to start thinking about going home.

On this morning's run, I was reflecting on lessons that Austria might have to offer Americans who travels and study abroad.

Here are a few items I came up with that might be helpful for your reflection as well:

• Order and tidiness. Austria are very orderly and their homes and houses are very tidy. They are proud of their personal and public space. They decorate their homes with flowers and shrubs. All of this produces a beauty, a dignity, and a local but healthy pride. Walking through the streets or in the local country towns and witnessing all this beauty naturally lifts the spirit, produces a joy, and a lightness of the heart.

• Conservation and recreation. It is amazing how Austrians preserve their natural beauty. They foster outdoor recreation as well. Almost all Austrians walk and get fresh air on a daily basis. Their pride for the outdoors has paid off. Many of their rivers are crystal clean, the hiking trails in great shape.

• Customs and tradition. The people still engage in the customs of the past. They have folk festivals, outdoor markets, and they wear traditional costumes and foster their local dialects. They are not disconnected from their past.

• Remembrance. Austrians remember the past. They build statues, columns, and churches to remember significant events and remember God's goodness and blessings. Even on the side of the road, they build little shrines where miracles or life saving events occurred.

• Devotion to Mary, the Mother of God. Austrians name bridges, streets, and other important buildings after Mary. Many are conscious of her important role in history and in the life of the church.

• Preservation of the hearth. Many Austrian homes are heated partially or completely by a wood stove. They gather around the warmth of the fire. They must prepare for the winter; they chop or buy wood. Someone must tend to the fire. Their is a type of implicit education to this type of living. It builds responsibility and community at the family level.