(B) - The Village of Tilaj - Paradise Found - Again the sound of young laughter!

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Tilaj - Paradise Found

The sleepy little village of Tilaj lies in the uplands of Hungary, and I've known it for many long years. And, during this time, I've seen very much change. But, sadly not for the best. I've seen the on-going decline and  increase of silence as house after house fell prey to nettles and weeds. There was decay wherever you looked. Tilaj, I believed, was fast becoming an historical fact!

But, I was thankfully wrong. It was three years ago. I was at the annual Tilaj summer festival. And, although the festival was the same as all others before, this time there was more. There were more children. Life had started to come back again to Tilaj.

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And, being an Hungarian party, there was food and drink to be had. This was a wonderful day. And, from a nearby town, the dancers in their traditional costumes all performed amazingly well. But, the stars of the show were the new children of Tilaj. Their dancing was made up of childish disorder with some of the kids dancing this way, and some dancing that way. And, this was the fun of the day - and all to the sound of a band which sounded much happier than ever before. At last there were children, and not just a few.

And,  the nettles and weeds had become fewer and fewer, and paint and young colour had come back to some of the houses. And, the best sign of all – a bus stop was under construction. Meaning, of course, there was movement. People were coming and going. But, the most wonderful thing of all was the sound and laughter of children being children. Children are life.

Tilaj is a village in Hungary. And, it was there I experienced something quiet nice. The sound and laughter of children. Paradise had come back again to Tilaj. Where there are children there's hope.

Tilaj - Paradise Found