Editor’s Word

The Last One?

My Dear Readers

Especially those of you who had stayed with us for the entire period of twenty years and those of you who had given me so much support: I must admit that this may be the time to give up at least to a certain degree some of my endeavors. Our finances are in the minus, the state will not give us anything, the advertisers are allegedly passing through a crisis and there are not enough readers to even pay the printers. Even though I and most of the other creators of this magazine work for free, the publishing of just one double issue comes up to at least 60 thousand crowns. Printing, layout, telephones, web site, rent of a small room in the Klementinum, Internet and miscellaneous expenses such as paper, envelopes, etc.

Once in a while someone sends financial help. Please accept my THANKS! However, nobody can probably come up with 50-60 thousand crowns, and certainly not every 2 months. Good people read our magazine and I’m happy to have known them. However, none of them are millionaires who don’t know what to do with their money. Now that’s enough about money.

In spring, I’m getting ready to go to Benat to visit the Czechs who went there at about the same time as they were immigrating to America. For me it’s interesting to compare the destiny of those courageous people who had made the decision to travel to lands unknown and begin a new life. None had it easy, whether it was in the east or in the west. Not even in the south when I think of Australia or in the north when I consider my friends in Sweden. I’d like to write about that as well as about other things.

I love my magazine and my readers, but I must admit that in a way I look forward to its not existing someday. When I work on it, I have time for nothing else. Whoever hasn’t tried it, cannot understand. Besides filling the pages of the publication, you must also keep track of the readers, take care of packing and mailing, answer at least 50 emails a day, several letters, take care of official business by filling out all kinds of forms, etc., etc.

Furthermore, I am fully aware of the fact that I am hard working but I have a problem with all kinds of details such as figuring out how many letters fit on a page so before an issue comes out I need to meet with the graphic artist several times in order to do it right.

That always puts a lot of pressure on me and causes me stomach problems and insomnia. After the magazine comes out, I’m finally able to relax. I make a list of the subscribers, and take care of the mailing.

The following three days I wander around my flat and my office, take a walk downtown, and make time to get back in contact with my family, which I’ve been neglecting for so many years. I enjoy the feeling that NOTHING HAS TO BE DONE at that very moment.

However, in a few days, the same thing starts all over again. Though, I’m not even talking about the books I’m writing, and which I would like to finish. I had been stealing time for that activity in summer when I was relaxing at my cottage. Looking through the manuscripts, I found it hard to believe, that there are already seven of them.

I wrote the book about my meetings with Czech Australians more than ten years ago. It has not been published yet, mostly because of lack of time. I could go on like that.

When I started publishing the magazine, I declared that it was God who inspired me. Later on I made a correction stating that the devil talked me into it. These days I don’t feel pressured to do anything I don’t want to, and thus the time may have come to get those books finally published.

Nevertheless, it is most proper to THANK at this time all the good people who had been and to this day are helping with the magazine. Many THANKS to the numerous authors and correspondents from CR and from far away, to our representatives abroad, as well as to volunteers who have been helping with proofreading, rewriting articles, packing and delivering the magazines, calendars, or other printed material. It’s not possible for me to mention all the names at this point since I could well forget some of them. However, I shall try to create some sort of publication, perhaps with their own commentaries and photos. They would surely deserve that.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year 2011.