Do you remember when that icon started weeping in that Albanian (St. Nicholas) Orthodox Church in Chicago? It happened around 1988 or 1989. No, it was 1986 or 1987 because I was still working then, and my son heard about it on tv and called me at work. It started on the feast day of St. Nicholas. What was happening in the Balkans in that timeframe?
I went to that church in about the fall of 1988, yes I suppose out of curiosity, but by the time I was able to visit, the weeping had stopped. I never believed it was a fraud, but I had no explanation for it.
It is possible that nah. Just thought I'd mention it.
There's quite a bit about it on the net. Sorry the photograph isn't the best quality.
The plight of the Serbians is in my heart and my prayers. If they didn't have to put up with so many foreign troops and persecution, it looks kind of neat how they live. Maybe backward to the western mind, but not lacking in the things that really matter. Simple but adequate homes, interesting architecture, and the scenery is probably pretty. I don't know how the winters would be there, probably similar to where I am.
What was happening in the Balkans in that timeframe?Roughly, Albania was either about to fall apart completely or falling apart. Interesting question. We were just discussing that time period in Albania on the Solana thread.
I don't think wonders will mind my copying her comment here. Here is what she found online -
" The turning point, as far as the organized crime concerning Albanians from Kosovo was around late 1997/early 1998, I think. Oh, here we go, I found this (from The San Francisco Chronicle:
The rise of Kosovar bosses to the pinnacle of the drug trade -- and the sudden, simultaneous appearance of the KLA -- dates from 1997, when the Berisha government fell in Albania amid nationwide rioting over a collapsed financial pyramid scheme that destroyed the savings of millions and wrecked the economy. In the unchecked looting that followed, the nation's armories were emptied of weapons, explosives and ammunition."
Thanks for your interest and for making this very interesting parallel.