14 August, 2013

So Much.

I've just finished reading a book. Elli: Coming of Age in the Holocaust. It's the true story of a young Jewish girl, who lived through World War II, and experienced  the horrors or several concentration camps. She was thirteen when her and her family went to the camps; they were there for about eighteen months. When the war was over and they were free, she looked to be sixty years old.  I'm not doing a book review of this book, because I seem to have lost my knack for writing them... But this book really showed me how blessed I am.

I am living in a nice, warm, comfortable and spacious house. I am wearing nice, well-fitting warm clothes. In fact I just got some new clothes today. I have just eaten my third meal of the day, and at every meal, I ate well. I am not living in constant fear of death in a gas chamber. I am not outside working hard in the freezing weather all day every day. It is windy, wet and cold outside right now. But I wouldn't even know, except I can hear it outside my window. I am not yelled at and treated like an animal. I am not a number. I am blessed. I have my Mum, my brother and my sister all here with me. We are all healthy and happy.

This book tells a true story. I can't write it off by thinking, 'Oh, well. It didn't really happen anyway.' It happened. All the time I was reading it, I kept contrasting Elli's life and hardship - what she had to face every day, just in order to survive - to my own life. It is such a contrast. I have everything. She had nothing. Reading this book changed the saying for me -'Be thankful for small mercies.'- to 'Be thankful for all mercies.' 






2 comments:

  1. hmm... book sounds familiar.. :)

    "........

    Lord when I wished I had the things
    that You gave someone else,
    I pray that You'll forgive me
    for just thinking of myself.
    I haven't been as thankful
    as I know I ought to be --
    I should be more than satisfied
    with all You've given me.

    refrain:
    We've got a roof over our heads,
    and the kids have all been fed,
    and the woman I love most
    lies close beside me in our bed.
    Lord give me the eyes to see
    exactly what it's worth
    and I will be the richest man on earth.

    ........"

    sounds weird 'cause it's written from a man's point of view -- Paul Overstreet -- but right now, it's my favorite song. Or one of them, anyway, when it's sung by Trulan Martin. Search for it on Youtube.... "Richest Man on Earth by Trulan Martin"

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds really nice. I found it on YouTube. Just got to wait until next month to watch it...(you can guess why) :)

    ReplyDelete

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