A friend of mine in middle school had a mother who made the most wonderful pepper steak in the whole world - I mean the WHOLE WORLD. She was listened to and respected. She used her time productively and raised her family with a lot of heart and spirit. I liked that she was little enough to rest my chin on her head.
One evening while hanging around waiting for the aromas to turn into a meal, I noticed some tattooing on her arm. Back in those days, nobody wore tattoos but Carnies and Navy guys, so I asked what it was. And she simply replied that it was a reminder to her that she was luckier than most. Later on I asked my friend about the markings and she told me her mother had been in a concentration camp.
We continually learned about the Holocaust in school but now I could put her face into the horrific accounts of what happened. She never talked about what it was like to know first-hand about this kind of evil, or how to carry on when it indiscriminately took her family but left her behind. I cannot imagine.
*** 'Evil Is As Evil Does' ***
On this, Hitler's Birthday, here is my prayer:
May God keep us vigilant to recognize and stand tall against evil and be willing to risk everything to eliminate it.
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