Do you ever feel like things are spinning out of control? Like businesses are growing too big, ordinary life is becoming too complicated, and good old-fashioned human kindness is going out the window? We sure do. It can be discouraging to feel the sweep of the culture current, to watch it move people in all kinds of crazy directions and even feel it tugging at our own feet. It can feel like there’s no going back. But there is something we can do…

Simplify. Go back to basics.

Many of us remember when business was done on handshakes, when neighbors would visit unannounced, when information traveled slower and folks were quicker to reach out a helping hand. These days we may not know all our neighbors, but there are other ways we can make a difference in people’s lives.

Everyone has heard the saying, “Money talks,” but did you know even a little money can have a significant impact on someone else’s life? We’re not even talking about handouts or digging down deep, we’re talking about rechanneling ordinary spending—using the purchases you would be making anyway to move your money away from the megacorporations and into the hands of real, hard-working people. We’re talking about ditching the mass-production chain and instead directly supporting creators and craftspeople. We’re talking about purchasing products with a purpose.

By choosing wisely where your dollars go, you can not only bless someone you know with a special gift, but you can also bless the person who made it. It simplifies the supply chain. More importantly, it creates a connection, whether across the road or across the world.

We are working to bring together creators from across Croatia who can benefit from an expanded reach. Rather than having to rely on sales from unpredictable summer foot traffic, we want them to have access to year-round income opportunities. You can help in this vision by considering their unique handmade products when you need to buy a gift for a friend, colleague, or loved one.

Together, we can grow a culture of compassion. With a little thought and a modest effort, we can change our habits and start putting the little guy first again. They—and we—can get through nearly anything if we simply look out for each other.

If I’m completely honest, the stories our Baba used to tell us about Croatia seemed pretty far-fetched. She told us how her parents were neighbors in Konavle but never got together till my great-grandpa tracked down his bride-to-be on American soil and, by the power of true love, swept her away from a rich fiancée…how Baba’s grandfather was such a great storyteller that whenever he crossed the Atlantic, the whole town would come out to hear him tell of his adventures on the other side…how one of her uncles was so athletic, he could jump onto a horse that was running at a full gallop…how if we ever needed anything, we could just go “home” to Old Country and they would greet us with open arms.

In 2006, my mom and I made our first trip together back to Croatia. She had not been since she was young, traveling with her own parents, and I had yet to experience the place I’d been hearing about all my life. Baba had recently passed away, and our only tie to Old Country was the little notes and faded letters she’d left behind. Not quite sure how to approach contacting people who, to us, were basically strangers, my mom and I caught a bus to one of “our” villages and went to the local cemetery to look for family names. While we were peering through the graveyard gates, my mom pulled out a black-and-white photo from our family album, and we realized that the hillside in the photo was exactly what we were seeing before us in full color. Soon a man rounded the corner in a little black car, cigarette in his mouth, and stopped to ask what we were up to. He quickly identified one of his own relatives in our photo book and told us he could take us to our family.

As we were driving through the village, an old man driving the other way stopped in the middle of the road and started chatting excitedly with our new friend. As they spoke, the man peered through the window at my mom and me and began gesturing and shouting almost tearfully, “Jesi moj! Jesi moj!”—or, “You are mine!” We had found one of Baba’s first cousins.

Over the years, we’ve learned how strong the ties are between the old and new worlds. The same century-old stories we grew up hearing are still being repeated around the table at our relatives’ houses. They talk about my great-grandmother as though she just left the village last year. They remember the legends of Baba’s grandfather, the storyteller. They even told us the same exact story about the uncle who could jump on the horse!

In 2012, we went back to Croatia with my brother, making the rounds of all the relatives and showing him the villages where our family stories had been born. As we dug deeper into our roots, again we could see the love, the bonds, the strength of blood, and the stories that had somehow endured generations of separation across thousands of miles. Since then we have collectively been back several times, and our mom has made the move from visitor to resident, growing those bonds even further.

I believe Croatia is a little unique in its treatment of the diaspora. Many like us have traced their roots back to the countries they originally came from, but in Croatia the ties are just so strong. So special. We started DOMA Trading because we want, in our little way, to help strengthen those ties even more. To nurture the relationship between past and present, between old and new worlds, between loved ones and those still to be found. And they do want to be found. As much as we, the diaspora, need to know we have a place and people to go home to, those who remained in Croatia also need us to walk with them into the future.