On Death and Family

This post is for my family. You are all in my heart and thoughts today. I wish I could be there with you through your pain. Know that I love all of you with all of my heart and will see you again soon.

My grandfather, Papa Tots, passed away this morning. I am sad that I didn’t get to say goodbye to him and wish I were in the United States to be there for my family. I regret not getting to know him better while he was alive but am grateful for the person he was and his unconditional love for my family. My family is in a lot of pain right now and my father and Aunt Kathy are very much in my thoughts. My aunt was by his side everyday this past week, which is hard. I know she is grateful that she was able to say goodbye.

My father’s pain is much deeper. I know that he is upset with himself for not being there and not seeing his father for many years. He removed himself from his family long ago and I know this decision has hurt him a lot. His relationship with his father was getting better and they were talking more in the last year. In time, he will forgive himself because the intention to build a relationship and forgive was there. The first step is always very hard.

Forgiveness is a very difficult thing. Egos and selfishness often get in the way. Our vision of what truly matters gets blurred and distorted by anger and frustration. It takes a lot of humility to admit you were wrong. This often takes a while; sometimes so long that you are too late. I know that my father is feeling this right now. I haven’t been close to my father for many years because of these same grudges.

Halina, the Holocaust survivor who had learned to forgive the people who took everything from her taught me how to love and forgive. Her trauma’s allowed her to reach the hearts of students and let them to see that the world may be dark, but is full of beauty and opportunities to grow. Anger, hatred and remorse cannot run a persons life. These feelings only destroy the self. Halina’s strength and courage to forgive in the face of her demons taught me this.

We all have our struggles and internal wars. For me, most of my life dealt with the war I had with my parents, specifically my father. Through life, I have come to understand that war is unavoidable. It will grab a hold at any moment and the only thing that truly matters is how we handle and grow in the face of this demon. I don’t hate or hold anger towards my parents any more. I have learned what it means to forgive and have forgiven the people and situations because of their teachings. My father was the first, and hardest person I forgave. It wasn’t for him, but for me. I didn’t want to regret not having some sort of relationship if something happened. He is nowhere near a central figure, but I can now see him as someone that is human. The human race makes mistakes when faced with obstacles, I am no different, and neither is he. I will never excuse my father’s behavior but I will love him regardless.

For some strange reason Carrie Underwood has a way of showing up on my iTunes shuffle every time someone I know passes away. I listen to her music but never really pay attention to the words and look at the meaning behind them. The day before my Nana passed away in 2008, the song, “Wheel of the World,” came on. In the second verse of the song, the line, “Babies are born and at the same time, someone's taking their last breath,” caught me off guard while I was at work. It was known that my Nana would pass any day at this point, so my emotions were high.

Today, after receiving the news of Papa Tots’ passing, another one of her songs came on. I had only heard it once and never thought about the lyrics. The song was, “Temporary Home,” and is about death and life being temporary. The last verse in the song and chorus spoke very loud to my family and helped me cope:

"Old man, hospital bed

The room is filled with people he loves 


And he whispers don't cry for me 


I'll see you all someday…


The Chorus:

"This is my temporary home

It's not where I belong 


Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through

This was just a stop, on the way to where I'm going

I'm not afraid because I know this was 
my temporary home."

Again, this tore at my heartstrings moments after receiving the news of his passing. It is crazy how music can move you. I was grateful to hear this song this morning.

I am grateful for a loving and imperfect family; we all have our issues and flaws but there is so much love that exists. And finally, I am grateful for the written word. It helps me everyday.

Love and Peace

JP Popovich

On Global Understanding and Compassion – Barcelona Part 2

On Thursday night, the 28^th of January, the mood of the group changed. We went from a funny and sarcastic attitude to a serious series of discussions between complete strangers from various parts of the globe. For about two hours, we passed around bottles of 1.25 Euro wine and had a deep discussion on humanity, life, the Holocaust and the state, future, and the survival of the human race.

Before this conversation, I saw, or rather, felt that members of humanity were ignorant to their actions and the state of the world’s welfare. In room 405, at Kabul Hostel, surrounded by people who I knew nothing about thirty-six hours prior, I was humbled by the compassion shared by so many. These people, my new friends, have learned to understand what it means to live, love, and learn through travel and experience. Every moment is valuable and each adventure brings a new outlook on how we view our histories and future.

We had come together, from different countries and continents, with different destinations planned. Our next map stop may have been different, but our current one was based off a shared desire. We craved knowledge, experience, growth, understanding and love in any shape, color, or form. We were learning from one another in this moment of discussion.

This conversation is what brought such a huge connection to Barcelona and this trip. Because of my experience with the Holocaust, I was able to share a lot and most everyone in the room and visited different camps throughout their travels before landing in Barcelona. We shared our stories and learned from the different perspectives of experience. It was humbling to be in a room where people, from all different walks of life could see the importance of love and evaluate the dangers of power and the capabilities of the human race.

We opened up about how we processed our emotions as well as how it changed our views on issues. My breaking point came when Halina, the survivor I traveled with, took my hand at Majdanek and explained what was in a mound that looked like dirt. It was unearthed ash that was memorialized. She looked at me and said, “My mother is in there.” I had to walk away at this point. I remember going back to the bus and putting my iPod on to Damien Rice.

Everyone was silent after sharing this story, and Joaquin, a guy from Argentina, told me that it broke his heart. His eyes showed his pain. He explained that he loved this earth and it saddens him to see so much hate, pain, and destruction. He couldn’t understand why we intentionally hurt one another without reason. I felt his words in my veins. They really hit home. It was beautiful to spend an evening seeing that there are good people in the world that can understand things on this level. This is way travel is so important.

But traveling is only one part of the puzzle in this growth. The people we meet along the way is what enriches the experience and allows people to see that there is so much diversity in not only race, religion, sexual orientation, and beliefs. Personality and experience comes in various shades. Taking the time to explore this and learn from the experience of complete strangers is the most important aspect of travel. This is where I think people really learn about what exits inside this world.

Through my journey, I have come to the conclusion that there are things that every person should do in their lives. Travel is the first thing that everyone should experience. It is impossible for everyone to see the world and make lengthy travels, but even small ones will give perspective. Traveling to another city, state, country, or even place in nature will offer something.

Taking the time to meet people outside of comfort and from different walks of life is also very important. Everyone is different and diverse and it necessary to realize this. Being aware of the rich diversity that exists in this world and learning form others who have different ideals, views, customs, beliefs and knowledge opens the mind to seeing mankind through a different lens. Love and compassion for every living human and creature that inhabits this earth can provide endless possibilities for healing.

Love and Peace – JP Popovich

p.s. goodnight Papa Tots. I wish I could have said goodbye. I love you very much and know that you are watching over me. We will meet again.

On Barcelona – 700 Pictures in 5 days!

I was nervous entering this trip to Barcelona. It was the first trip I have taken completely by myself and was afraid that I would end up spending the 5 days there on my own; just my new camera and me. I wasn’t even in my room before I was talking to people from America and a guy from Argentina. Later that night, two Canadians arrived and we were all talking and discussing background, experience and reasons for travel.

I arrived late Tuesday, January 26^th, and my adventure started with a free walking tour on Wednesday. I got to know the two Canadians better as well as found a funny Australian. So far, out of my travels, Australians are the most fun to be around. I feel like my sense of humor fits in very well with them. They are sarcastic, without a filter, pretty open minded, and know how to have fun.

The walking tour ended at a little local restaurant where we had some local Spanish flare for lunch. It was delicious. I ordered a veggie burger made from tofu and beets. The beets made it look like meat once I bit into it. I ate my lunch with a very refreshing glass of sangria in honor of being in Spain and celebrating my sister, Eileen’s birthday. I spent the rest of the day walking the beach and taking pictures of the beautiful scenery. The best part of Barcelona was being able to see the sun, blue skies, and stars at night.

Being in Europe has taught me to appreciate the small things and not take the little comforts for granted. Growing up in Arizona, I was privileged to see the sun almost everyday of the year. I never knew how much I would miss it once it disappeared. Just thinking about it warms me up. I packed light for this trip. Just the essentials. I wore the same jeans for three days and changed my shirt every other. It was nice to not have to worry about material objects and just explore.

Later that night, my new friends and some hostel roommates got together to have a beer and discussed some pretty serious and deep outlooks on the world, humanity, compassion, and what it means to live. I will save the details for another post, but this was such a humbling moment in my trip. has taught me to appreciate the small things and not take the little comforts for granted. Growing up in Arizona, I was privileged to see the sun almost everyday of the year. I never knew how much I would miss it once it disappeared. Just thinking about it warms me up. I packed light for this trip. Just the essentials. I wore the same jeans for three days and changed my shirt every other. It was nice to not have to worry about material objects and just explore.

On Thursday, January 28^th, I spent the later part of the afternoon at Gauid’s Park. This is by far, one of the most beautiful places I have ever been too. It brought me back to Arizona in many ways. I saw palm trees and prickly pear cacti throughout the whole park. It brought a lot of comfort even though I was so far away from my home. Seeing so much breathtaking views in the park reminded me that there is so much beauty in this world. Regardless of the destructive pattern of human existence, nature and the creativity of the human mind are creating wonderful things together. It was also my sister Felecia’s birthday! The day could not have been more perfect. The feeling of being home was overwhelming and needed.

Friday, my last full day in beautiful Barcelona, the two Canadians (Max and Justin), the Australian (Jono), and myself went to Monserrat, a mountain monastery an hour outside of Barcelona. The weather could not have been more perfect. The mountains were cast out by fog and it was chilly. This was the only day that I really needed my jacket. From the top of the mountain, you could see the countryside as well as the Mediterranean Sea!

On Saturday, I left my new friends and the sun and returned to Brussels after a five-hour flight delay. It was snowing heavy in Brussels, which killed me. I hate snow as it is and to go towards it from the beauty of Spain was hard. I really didn’t want to leave. Maybe I will get back there someday. I hope so!

This was more of a practical update post a week and a half after the trip itself. I have been running around like a mad man for a week. I hope to have more updates soon! Thanks for reading family and friends. I will update with pictures later. My internet is not uploading them at the moment.

Much love and peace! JP