Kim

It was in the second grade at Mary Queen of Peace,

I recall, the early 1950s, and the Korean War had

ended just a few years before. I had made a new friend,

Kim was his name. An American family adopted him,

and brought him back to the States. Having been too

young at the time, I knew nothing about Korea and

the War, knew nothing about the Korean people. My

new friend, Kim, was then the first and only Kim I

knew. And as I grew older and wiser to the ways of the

world, I learned that in Korea, Kim is the most common

surname—kim il sung, kim jong il, kim jung un, kim

jong nam and so on. Personally, throughout my years,

I have been introduced to many a Kim, all of whom

have their rooted heritage in Korea. I suppose it should

then not come as a surprise that I never again came

across the same Kim from Korea with whom I made

friends in the second grade. He was a happy and sweet

boy as I recall, my original friend, Kim. As with most of us

who have survived to a ripe old age, I have learned a lot

in this lifetime of mine. It is also my understanding that

there is more than one Mary Queen of Peace on this

planet as well.

Chris Hanch 7-8-18