Читать книгу Act of One - Victoria Inc. Barna - Страница 4

Nothing was more important to Bruce than his family. His family background and history created the foundation and direction his life would take. His family and, more specifically, his Grandpa Joseph influenced what he believed in, his values, perceptions and his purpose in life.

He was born into a family of warriors that started with his great-great-great-grandfather who led an army of Cossack warriors to defeat Napoleon and his army. They were independent, unconventional and fiercely loyal men. Because of this unprecedented win against Napoleon and his ancestor’s loyalty, the ruling Czar of Russia rewarded his family for their great service. An aristocratic title of Baron was bestowed upon his great-great-great-grandfather along with land that took twenty days and twenty nights to cover riding on horseback in what was known as the Bread Basket of Russia, the Ukraine.

Moving forward several generations, as this aristocratic family prospered and during the time of Bruce’s grandfather, political unrest developed once again. With the help of their serfs and servants, at great risk to themselves and all that they held dear, Bruce’s grandparents were smuggled out of Russia. In grave danger they found their way from Russia to the United States to escape the Russian Revolution and the brutality of the Communist regime. They left with only the clothes on their backs.

It took great courage, faith and trust to escape Russia and move a family to an unknown country with nothing, leaving everything they had behind. This strong family legacy is what helped form Bruce into who he would become.

As his grandparents arrived at Ellis Island, the immigration entry point to the United States on the East Coast, the officers quickly Anglicized their Russian surname. Tugligowitz became Tully. So, they began with nothing. They were no longer known by their own family name. They really started over.

As a young boy Bruce was very close to his grandfather, a Russian Orthodox priest, physician, fervent anti-Communist Czarist aristocrat, Russian Baron and Cossack tribal leader. He grew up listening to his Grandpa Joseph’s stories and teachings until he passed away. Bruce loved his grandfather and thought he was an extraordinary man.

As Bruce grew older he remembered the time he spent with his Grandpa Joseph and he recognized how much he was influenced by his beliefs, values and practices. He believed that his grandfather was a living example of all that was good. He was someone who dedicated his life to help those who were less fortunate than himself.

Bruce remembered seeing him always in his three-piece suit. He remembered how his Grandpa Joseph always carried himself with an air of nobility and dignity. He demonstrated daily through his actions what was possible and always practiced what he preached. Bruce thought of him as a living example of how someone overcomes hardship and rises to the top.

He remembered how his grandparents arrived in the United States with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Eventually his grandfather, Dr. Tully, created five medical clinics that provided medical care to Eastern European immigrants while helping to clothe and feed the poor as well.

His Grandpa Joseph’s deep values of compassion, courage and caring for others were embedded in Bruce and formed a solid foundation for how he would live his life.

Bruce remembered visiting his grandfather’s office over the neighborhood grocer’s store on Saturdays in Newark, New Jersey. Springfield Avenue, where it was located, was like a mini-European melting pot that teemed with life. Everyone was friendly and greeted each other in their own languages. People lined up outside the building where his Grandpa Joseph’s office was located beginning early in the morning. Oftentimes so many people were there and the line was so long that it curled around the building. People knew they would be seen and greeted by Dr. Tully in their own language no matter how long it took.

Dr. Tully treated each person with respect and if they couldn’t afford to pay for the visit, he saw them anyway. Neighborhood mothers came to him when they needed clothing and food for their children. He always sent them to the neighborhood tailor or grocer to take care of their family needs and said, “Tell them to put it on my bill!”

Before seeing patients in his clinic Bruce joined his Grandpa Joseph in his private chapel for prayer. Dr. Tully had created a sacred chapel that included beautiful Russian icons, candles, large wooden furniture and a roaring fireplace. Being an Orthodox priest the chapel and time spent in prayer helped him center, offer gratitude for the many blessings in his life and pray for guidance and support as he treated the patients each day.

Although Bruce was too young to realize it then, as he grew older he began to understand a power was there and something greater. He realized that his grandfather’s faith in God was the foundation of his life.

Saturdays spent with Grandpa Joseph were special for Bruce because he knew that when they took a break for lunch they would go to the Jewish deli across the street and have crème soda and a corned beef sandwich.

He remembered other times he spent with his grandfather as well. He listened to stories in the Turkish steam baths where they sat in the steam room with towels over their heads. He also remembered sitting in his lap in a huge, carved wooden chair while his grandfather told him stories.

Bruce came from a large family. His grandparents had twelve sons and on holidays the entire family and their families gathered together to make food baskets for families in the Eastern European ghettos. They delivered them on the doorsteps knowing they would be well received.

Dr. Tully was larger than life to Bruce. He was revered by all who knew him. He was like a shepherd who took care of his flock and had a great extended family. Dr. Tully’s extraordinary life and example formed the foundation for the person Bruce would become. Through him he learned to stand up to, face, and combat the forces of evil—evil that threatened to destroy all he believed in and stood for in the world.

This part of Bruce’s life story begins during the 1950s at the height of the Cold War between Russia and the United States. During this era many people believed that anything Russian was to be mistrusted, feared and shunned. This was especially true for Bruce.

Bruce believed no evil was greater than the Soviet Union. The seed of distrust was planted as he listened as a young boy to his grandfather’s stories. The distrust of the Soviets became stronger as he grew older. Never far from his thoughts was his Grandpa Joseph’s warning: “Always be on guard against the evils of Communism. This is what murdered and destroyed our family. Be prepared to fight the Communists at all costs.” Bruce was raised to stand up to bullies, regardless of their sizes, and to protect the weak.

When his grandfather became ill Bruce sat at his grandfather’s bedside. As Grandpa Joseph lay dying Bruce promised, “I’ll continue the fight, the fight to combat evil!”

In that moment, at a very young age, Bruce began to awaken as a visionary. His vision and first mission didn’t become clear until several years later when a series of events happened that brought his mission into focus.