Below is a quote that crossed my path many years ago. I do not know where I first read it.
“Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is placed in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse into the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity; could she look into its soul to see its possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for its destiny,–she would see that in all God’s world, there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no others hands the sacred and holy trust given to her.” -JR Miller
My Greatest Joy
Rearing my children was my greatest joy. My children are all grown and living their own lives now. Some of my children are parents now too.
My purpose was to rear my children to know and love God. I consider this the best thing I have ever done. As I look at the adults they have grown to be, I am proud of the thoughtful, caring people they are. I thoroughly enjoyed my life as a stay-at-home mother.
As the quote above mentions, may God give every mother a vision,I had that vision. It was a gift from God. My greatest desire was to live in such a way that my children would see Jesus. To bring my children up to know and love God.
Reading the Bible and sharing stories of Jesus, serving and praying for the hurting was a big part of our days. Memorizing the scriptures: ABC verses, I Corinthians 13, Psalm 1, 23, 100, etc. Singing songs and playing and reading lots and lots of books! Cooking big meals and eating around our beautiful rustic table built by my father-in-law left a lot of memories imprinted on our hearts. We had lots of road trips and lived in several places. We are thankful for those friends the Lord gave us along the way!
What joy. We had our struggles to overcome, and we had a wonderful life. I thank God for the years I was able to stay home with my children.
25 ways to teach your children to serve others. Why 25? I’m not sure just a good number I guess. I am sure the list could be even longer. But first I want to talk about why for just a few minutes.
Service begins at home.
Service should begin at home. Your children can make a very important contribution to the running of your home. Children can and should help out. Here are a few reasons. They gain valuable life skills and confidence when they know how to do basic jobs around the house. The world does not revolve around them. Why should someone else clean up all of their messes? Being part of the family team brings you all closer. Enjoy chatting while doing the dishes together. Set a timer for 10 minutes and have the whole team do a quick evening pick up. This will be a time of joy and fun as you serve one another.
Serving outside of your home.
Why serve outside of your home? We live in a self-focused world. Do you know how important it is to see the needs of others and to learn to help? There are a lot of blind people in the world. I am not talking about physical blindness. Children come into the world with no concern for others. Service is something you can nurture in your children by helping them to see and supply the needs of others. You can make a big difference in the world by serving one person. It is rewarding for those who serve as well as those who are served.
Here is my list of 25+ ways you can teach your children to serve others.
Visit an elderly person and sit on their porch and ask them to tell you about some aspect of their life. Pick up sticks or rake their leaves.
Color a picture and send it to someone in the nursing home or hospital.
Do you work on jigsaw puzzles? Pass it along after you work it. I recently left one of mine with homemade cookies at the desk of a nursing home for a friend of mine. Visits are not allowed. He called me later and said he hadn’t done one in years and really enjoyed it. He has mentioned it since then too.
Pick up trash in your neighborhood. This will help them also be conscious of littering.
Collect all your coins for a set period of time and donate it to a good cause like hhi.org/walk4water/smyrna-tn-2020. Ask others to share with you. You will be surprised at how many coins you can gather in a short time and make a lifelong gift of clean water. The gift of life!
If you sew or have a teenage girl. you might want to help her make sanitary pads for girls in other countries. Many girls must miss a week of school every month. These girls may only have mud or grass to use. If you need a pattern check here:
Do you have an elderly neighbor? Maybe you take their trash can to the street for them every week or once.
Let your children help you make dinner for someone who is ill, had a new baby, or surgery. Even if you have to door drop during this season it will create a lasting memory of serving someone else.
Have an elderly friend who loves to sing? Take a few people and have a short sing along with them. Ask their favorite songs. What song was a new song for them when they were younger?
Do something nice for a single mom or maybe volunteer to babysit one afternoon while she has an afternoon off. Make this a family event.
Volunteer at a workday. Widows, camps, spring building clean up or community clean up projects. Make sure they are involved with many age groups. They learn so much this way.
Every year there are floods, tornados, tropical storms, or other disasters and you can participate in some way in the recovery efforts. Cooking, donating, actual clean up, etc.
Attend a Habitat for Humanity presentation. You will find several ways to serve. If your kids are too young they can make sandwiches to feed the workers.
Make hygiene bags for the homeless, battered women’s shelters, etc.
Pack snack bags and/or small throws and keep in your car to give to the homeless.
Take a flat of water with you and give out on a hot day. Laundromats are good places.
Encourage them to be the one who meets the new people and visitors at church. Maybe invite them over for a play date and share beforehand how they might feel moving to a new area or visiting a church for the first time.
When allowed visit the nursing homes. Just your presence brings so much joy.
Decorate a door. One year we chose one person in the nursing home and decorated their door for different holidays. Spread happiness.
Have a free yard sale.
Take your children to be the first to meet the new neighbors with a plate of cookies perhaps.
Hug patrol. Many elderly people miss physical touch. Especially widows. If you are concerned about hugs then encourage your children to pick out one older person at church each Sunday and go speak to them or hug them before they sit down. See my article about a single hug.
Serve dinner at the local homeless shelter.
Take goodies and thank you notes to the local Police Station or Firehouse.
Collect throws and blankets from your stash and share them with those in need. I put these in a ziplock bag and give it to my favorite police officer who keeps them on hand to give out as needed. Maybe have your child write a short note or small picture on an index card to include.
Make Magi boxes.
Write cards to the sick in your congregation or visitors, etc.
Pick up the phone and call someone who might be lonely.
Healing Hands International is in my area and has volunteer opportunities. Many nonprofits are looking for volunteers.
Read books to a daycare or school classroom. Dr. Seuss’s day is a good day to do so.
A few years ago I heard Earl Lavender say, “Hospitality can change the world”. Make it a practice. Remember to keep it simple so that you can all enjoy it.
Make care packages for the military or a college student.
Go on a mission trip with your teens.
Make a game of doing good deeds in secret.
A few more than 25. I hope this list will be a spark. Please comment below with your favorite ideas and experiences. Let’s spread some sunshine!
The story of a single hug and it’s importance. You may not know how powerful and important a single hug can be. Today I want to share with you a little story of a single hug and it’s importance. Here is my story.
Rushing around I make sure everyone is getting ready to go. We wake up early to get everyone ready for church. I hate being late so I try to prepare as much as I can the night before. The kids choose their clothes the night before including shoes which you know can disappear at a moment’s notice. Missing shoes (or keys) can send my attitude into a downward spiral and make everyone miserable. I try to avoid that! Anyway, back to the story.
Breakfast in the Van
We are rushing around dressing children and getting shoes on and hair brushed. This can take a bit of doing when you have 8 or 9 or 11 children. The van is full of children and I count to make sure we haven’t missed anyone. On Sunday mornings we skip breakfast and eat Little Debbie granola bars in the van on the way to the church building. We arrive a few minutes early and I remind the little ones to use the restroom BEFORE church. The children make their rounds greeting everyone but especially the older ladies. Grandma Lark is a favorite. She is a tiny little lady with a big smile and a happy personality.
A Single Hug
While the kids are passing out hugs and giving smiles, I stop and talk with Goldie, a widow, about her week. “Everyone needs 5 hugs a day”, I tell her as I give her a hug. Her next words stay with me forever. That’s the first hug I’ve had since my husband died. This breaks my heart and stays in my mind for years. I am sure she is not the only one. I give out more hugs now.
Research of Touch
Dr. Tiffany Field has researched physical touch for four decades and has concluded that touch promotes better health, mental and physical. She saw an increase in the natural killer cells that kill viral and bacteria cells in those with more physical touch. The study also found children are physically and verbally stronger and less aggressive when they have the physical touch. Even premature babies gain weight better and go home earlier when they have the physical touch. Physical touch is healing.
From the time we are in the womb through our elderly years, touch plays a primary role in our development and physical and mental well-being. New studies on touch continue to show the importance of physical contact in early development, communication, personal relationships, and fighting disease. Dr. Tiffany Field
Human touch is so vital to our well being. The practice of sharing a smile and a hug will enrich your life! Covid 19 has put a damper on this for sure. Instead of mourning one more thing we have lost I challenge you to put down your phone and computer and give attention to those in your path. Smile, pat a shoulder and for sure hug those in your house for the health of it, for the joy of it, and the love of it.
Hug
For further study:
Read this good article about Why Physical Touch Matters by following the link below.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Trust in the Lord with all Your Heart
First Memory Verses
This is the first Bible verse that I teach my children around two years old. Yes, I teach them John 11:35 but the first verse is to Trust in the Lord! Don’t lean on your own understanding. Acknowledge God he will smooth the way for you. He will make your path straight if you will let him.
POW Toilet Paper Bible
Memorizing scriptures is very important to me. I first got a glimpse into the importance when I was middle school age and heard a POW speak at an assembly at Mortimer Jordan High School in Morris, Alabama. It so impressed me! I wish I knew who the man was. He probably has no idea what an impact he made on my life. Nonetheless, I still remember his description of how the prisoners pieced together a Bible. They wrote on toilet paper the verses that they could recall from memory. This was a joint project. They valued these words. These scriptures carried them through a dark time of imprisonment.
Freed-Hardeman
As a college student, I was impressed with a professor who memorized chunks of the Bible and sometimes books of the Bible! I wanted to do this!
Would there ever be a time when I would not have access to a Bible? Doesn’t everyone have a Bible? What if the only part of the Bible you could have right now was what you have committed to memory? How big would your Bible be?
Malawi
As I travel to Malawi I see a hunger for the word of God like none I have ever witnessed. They want to own a Bible. They want to hold and read a Bible because they know it contains the words of life.
What a blessing to be able to own a Bible. What a blessing to recall scripture from memory!
Count your blessings today!
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
Have you always wanted to have a baby? I always wanted to be a mom but I never gave thought about what the actual pregnancy and birth of my baby would be like. Today I want to give you some suggestions for preparing for your first pregnancy or birth.
There are many things that I have learned along the way about pregnancy and childbirth. Some things I learned by studying and some by experience. Things that I would like to share which may help you too!
As my girls are reaching childbearing age and starting families of their own I have had the opportunity to share ideas on a new level and see what current birth practices in America are like. Doing mission work in Malawi gave me a glimpse into birth practices outside of the United States. Though my babies have grown up I find myself drawn to pregnant moms and babies! I am even trained to be a doula. Need a doula?
Are you ready to have a baby?
Babies come into the world totally dependent on you the parents. Having a baby will change your whole life. It did mine. Is your husband ready to become a dad? It is helpful if you both agree on this new adventure. Your baby needs both parents.
Don’t worry if you are already pregnant and didn’t think much about this beforehand. Most of us don’t. Get busy learning now. Babies are a blessing and you will learn how to care for yourself and your baby. Don’t be afraid to ask people questions and seek out other moms. If you aren’t already you will soon fall in love with your sweet package before he ever makes his appearance.
New dad
Healthy Mom | Healthy Baby
If you want to give birth to a healthy baby then make sure you have healthy habits. Do you want your baby to smoke? No! Then you must not. You should eat a healthy diet, and avoid alcoholic and caffeinated drinks. Are there other unhealthy habits you have developed? Pay attention to your health and the health of your baby. Healthy habits will help you avoid many complications of pregnancy and delivery. And your baby will be healthier too! Study and ask questions about what makes a healthy mom.
Childbirth is a natural thing.
Childbirth is a natural process, not an illness or medical procedure. Approaching birth in that way may help alleviate any fears you have. This is the way you were designed. Your body was made to give birth. Still, you need to study and learn about childbirth. Ask questions. Seek answers even when you have to dig for them.
Read Books
I want to encourage you to read books! There are many great books out there on Pregnancy and Childbirth. My very favorite is Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth. She is considered one of the most knowledgeable midwives and is known worldwide for birth practices. There are many others to be found at your local library as well as your favorite online or neighborhood bookstore.
Know the Statistics
Have you ever thought about why people have C-sections? Why they have a natural childbirth? Epidurals? Inductions? Do you have questions about due dates, eye drops, vitamin K? Why do some women have more trouble with childbirth while others have no complications? There are several reputable places to find out the information you need to make an educated decision. I was thrilled to find Evidenced Based Birth.Their goal is to, “put accurate, evidence-based info into the hands of families just like yours, so that you can make informed, empowered choices and have the positive birth you deserve!”
Childbirth Classes
Take childbirth classes, you will be glad you did. Even if you think you do not have time for them they will help you prepare for birth. You will learn relaxation and other techniques to help you cope with labor and have a great birth. Most classes have you make a birth plan so that you and your provider know what is important to you during your labor and delivery. This is important to think about before you go into labor.
Choosing a Provider – Midwife, Family Doctor, OB-GYN
I want to encourage you to study childbirth just like you would study about any new thing you are about to do like driving a car or teaching. Study your choices of providers. For many years most babies were delivered by the local women or midwives at home long before there was an official profession. Family doctors have a long history of delivering babies too. Ob-Gyn’s came on the scene in the later 1800s. You have choices.
Remember when you choose a health care provider that they are there to serve you. You are a consumer and you are paying them for services. They are there to answer your questions and assist you with a healthy pregnancy and birth. This process will help you to choose the best option for you and your baby. Do your homework. It really does improve your chances of having a great birth experience.
I hope this has given you a few things to think about as you prepare to have your first baby.
If you have any questions please email me at redaredding@gmail.com or comment below. Or if you just want to talk about babies and birth. One of my sons is fond of saying all conversations end in childbirth.
Do you remember the Crosby, Stills, and Nash song: Teach Your Children Well? Here are the lyrics. Listen here.
TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL
You who are on the road
Must have a code that you can live by
And so become yourself
Because the past is just a good-bye.
Teach your children well,
Their father’s hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picks, the one you’ll know by.
Don’t you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry,
So just look at them and sigh
And know they love you.
And you, of tender years,
Can’t know the fears that your elders grew by,
And so please help them with your youth,
They seek the truth before they can die.
Teach your parents…
Child of the 60s
I was born in Birmingham, Alabama on February 26, 1960. A child of the 60s and 70s. Lawrence and I met in college and married in 1980. A year later I became a mom. Determined to be a good mom I researched the scriptures, studied parenting books, and interviewed people I thought were good parents. Are there any perfect parents? No! Even though I wanted to be the perfect parent. I knew there were no perfect parents but I wanted to do it right! It may seem funny now but I was very intentional about it. This approach became a pattern for my learning not only about parenting but other things as well. Read scriptures, read books, and interview people.
Lawrence and Reda 1980Lawrence & Reda
Homeschooling
Not only did I want to be a good mom but I wanted to teach my children myself. Homeschool was not even a word back then nor did I know anyone who taught their own children or would consider doing so. Somehow unknowingly I found myself at the forefront of a movement that continues today. It has morphed as time has passed but is still alive and well. Hopefully, I can write more about that later.
When I started this post I was intending to share my journey into parenting and homeschooling. However, considering the current atmosphere in our country I have decided to take this a different direction. It does not matter what choice you have made about schooling. We all teach our children. Whether it is intended or not. Some of life’s most important lessons come from home and come early in life.
“Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park”
Your children learn from you. This song has been in my head for a couple of weeks. After a little research, I found out that Nash wrote this song after seeing a famous photograph by Diane Arbus that depicts a child with an angry expression holding a toy weapon. According to an interview, he wrote this song to reflect on the messages given to children about war. There are a lot of messages given to children!
Love
Whether you know it or not you do teach your children. Teach them well. It is your job to teach them how to love and how to be loved. It is your job to teach them the truth, God’s truth. God’s ways are different from the world and so should ours be.
John 13:34&35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”
I John 2:11 “But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.”
Matthew 5: 43-48 says, “You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor” and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
God Shows No Partiality
Peter learned this and we should too. In Acts 10:34 “So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,”
Be Light Givers
This is what God says in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Yes I was born in Alabama in the 1960s and I saw racial prejudice, social prejudice, and more, but I did not embrace that because I was taught well at home. I do not remember having a conversation about this. I was taught by my parent’s example and I am thankful for that!
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I just couldn’t write on Mother’s day about my mom. For one thing, I was visiting her from a safe distance on her porch. Add home church and kids and grandkids and it was a full day. I am so blessed as a mom and to have my mom!
How can I possibly write anything appropriately honoring into a post?
But today when this picture
My mom Birthday 2017
popped up on my Facebook feed, I decided to say something. I know I cannot possibly express in words what an amazing woman my mom is, how thankful for her I am, or how much I love her! But I will write a few things.
Thankful for My Mom!
My earliest memories center around church and family. For many years my mom took the three of us to church all by herself. Not just Sunday morning but at least 3 services a week. I am thankful for her faithfulness to the father and her commitment to the body of Christ.
She made all of our clothes and some for the neighbors too. One year she made Easter dresses for us and the neighbor girls including little crocheted shawls.
She and my dad grew a big garden and canned and froze the benefits. They raised hogs and chickens. She and my dad worked hard and taught us to work hard as well. This has been a huge blessing in my life.
She sounds like the typical mom during that time period in so many ways because of all the skills she learned growing up on the farm. But my mom was far from typical in addition to all of these things she worked full time.
During a time when few women worked outside the home, my mom worked as a computer programmer. She worked in a field few women worked. Her work transitioned a lot over the years. She spent her last two years of programming from home. She is resilient and a great learner.
What is she doing today during this pandemic? She has made over 100 masks to protect others. Sharing with her neighbors, friends, and family from a distance she continues to stay busy. Quilting, cross-stitching, reading books, doing puzzles, sharing magazines, sewing machines, and whatever she has to give she continues doing good as she has always done.
She has weathered a lot of storms in her life and come through them with a generous heart and a smile.
What does Will Roger’s Birthplace have to do with education? It seems like yesterday that we lay on the grass at Will Roger’s birthplace in Oologah, Oklahoma. We were a young couple in our 20’s with a baby. We like to visit historic attractions and of course free attractions. So we explored this beautiful place. Soon we found ourselves lying on the grass and our son experiencing the early days of his education.
I had grown up seeing the face of Will Rogers even though I really didn’t know much about him. He was a funny cowboy. I didn’t know he was a member of the Cherokee Nation, a commentator, newspaper columnist, as well as an actor.
I remember what a beautiful day we had. We lay on the grass, we may have had a picnic, we talked and interacted with each other and our baby, Micah. I remember we showed him the texture of the bark on trees and the blades of grass. This might seem silly to some but it was my way of approaching life and the education of my baby.
I took my baby outside in all weather to experience God’s creation. I knew even then that babies learn a lot from being outside. Even before a baby can speak words they have a great knowledge of many things. I wanted my baby to have great experiences so that as he grew and when he started to read he would know first hand what grass was, he would have touched and smelled and felt God’s creation. He was collecting a great amount of information about the world and God even though he was yet to speak a whole sentence. He was drinking in the wonder of God’s creation.
This was not his first experience with nature nor his last. By the time our son was two years old, he would have had many of these experiences with nature. And soon become an avid reader and explorer of the world around him.
This is a glimpse into the early days of the making of a mom and dad who would go on to have 11 children and teach them by letting them explore the forests, beaches, mountains, night skies, and meet a lot of people along the way. We continue to carry this philosophy with us on the journey.
From my earliest childhood, I knew the scriptures were important. As I sat in church listening to the Bible being taught I knew I was to sit quietly. My memories were not really of the lessons themselves, here it is, I thought I would become an angel when I died. Where I got this idea I have no idea. I was taught the usual Bible stories and enjoyed it all immensely.
High School
When I was a student at Mortimer Jordan High School in the 1970’s we had a POW speak to our assembly. I was very impressed with his story. I really wish I could remember his name. Even though I cannot remember his name part of his story has stayed with me for over 40 years.
This POW shared some of the experiences he had while being held captive. One of the things he and his fellow prisoners did to help sustain them was to put together a Bible. Each man shared what scriptures he could remember and they wrote them on toilet paper. They compiled their own little Bible! This impressed me with a desire to commit scripture to memory lest I find myself in a similar situation with no Bible.
College
While a student at Alabama Christian and later Freed-Hardeman University each Bible class gave us memory verses. I enjoyed this activity. One teacher emphasized in his life the importance of memorizing God’s word. It was said that he could quote whole books of the Bible. I was impressed. I wanted to have chapters and books memorized.
During my early years as a young bride, I would put a scripture beside my bathroom mirror to help me memorize the Word. It was mounted on a paper that said a scripture a day helps keep Satan away. I memorized a lot of verses this way.
Books
In the book Ordering Your Private World Gordon MacDonald shares the story of Howard Rutledge, a young man who is captured during wartime. As a civilian, this young man never had time for spiritual things. He soon realized he did not have the spiritual resources he needed to sustain him during his imprisonment.
Being imprisoned he said his hunger for the spiritual soon outdid his hunger for food. He said, “It took prison to show me how empty my life is without God.” By the time he was released, he realized his need to grow in his relationship with God. You can read his story in the book In The Presence of Mine Enemies. This story really stayed with me and gave me a greater desire to memorize the word of God.
Resources
We lived in Logan, Ohio in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Barbara Dunn, a friend, and Bible teacher gave me a copy of the Bible ABC’s. My children and I memorized these during that time. They are still with me. Through the years I have found several versions of these. Check out these two :
I memorize scripture because God’s word is the Word of Life. I have hidden your word in my heart so that I might not sin against you. Why not memorize God’s word for yourself today!
Please share in the comment section what things you have used to commit the Word of God to memory.
My husband has a doctor in St. Louis, Dr. Simon Yu. Recently he had a lengthy visit with a procedure. After our lunch break I had two hours to spend in St. Louis. I decided to Google things to do near me and Google came through with several suggestions. I found the Holocaust Museum was in walking distance of Dr. Yu’s office. My youngest daughter and I went to the Museum. She was a bit reluctant. I feel like it is important for us to study the Holocaust and other times in history even though it is uncomfortable and unpleasant at times.
Fear
As we neared the entrance to the building I noticed a sign near the door about new security features. Isn’t it sad that we still have to fear those who will enter our doors to mistreat or kill us? They let us enter and were very gracious and appreciative of our coming to the museum.
How the Museum Came to Be
Our first stop told how the museum came to be. The museum was in memory of Gloria M. Goldstein who’s husband had made great contributions to establish the museum.. In 1977 a Center for Holocaust studies was established as a living memorial to the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Many Jews had settled in this area during and after the war.
According to the brochure, “Provocative speakers drew Holocaust survivors who had settled in the St. Louis area. They were invited to share their oral history and experiences with schools, churches, and other organizations. They became the teachers and as they shared their stories people listened, asked questions and learned the horrific lessons of the Holocaust. The Oral History project enabled the center to interview and preserve the testimonies of the survivors, liberators of Nazi concentration camps, non-Jews and all those who were impacted by World War II.”
We chose to do the self guided tour although there are guided tours available. We found out that all of the artifacts had a direct connection to people in St. Louis. As we walked through the exhibit we stopped to watch footage, read exhibits, and look at artifacts and photos from World War II and the concentration camps. No one was laughing and talking as they visited this museum.
Estimated 11 Million Lost Lives
Over 6 million Jews lost their lives as they were targeted by Hitler’s genocide. We learned that many non-Jews, maybe as many as 5 million also lost their lives. We learned about the different Star designations that betrayed obvious prejudice and hatred. The horror of women being ripped from their families, having their heads shaved and all their possessions taken, even family photos. They were allowed to keep their shoes. There were so many little details that my study of WWII in the past had omitted.
The Power of One Person
One part of the display stands out to me and that is the power of one person. Individuals who chose to risk their lives to care, defend and save the lives of others while risking their own lives. Stories of those who had hidden children and families to rescue them and help them escape death. One lady is thought to have rescued thousands of children. I am fascinated with these stories and I hope that I would have been willing to risk my life if I had lived during this time period!
Make A Difference in Your World
Regardless of what your government or anyone else does you can still do right. You can still make a huge difference in the world. Impacting one life is a beautiful thing. Don’t let this kind of horror happen again. Go out and make your world a better place. Be the change you want to see in the world!
God Bless You!
Reda
Mural at the Holocaust Museum – St. LouisReda and Esther visit the Holocaust Museum
According to the website the museum is open Monday through Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Docent-led tours by appointment. The museum is a department of Jewish Federation of St. Louis. Fran Poger is Chairperson.
