She looked right into my eyes and said, “I hope your children never know war.”
She held my gaze, and her steady eyes were beginning to brim with tears. I could see she was remembering her childhood in Germany during World War II.
I was starting to cry a bit as well.
Those powerful words meant so much more coming from this petite woman.
Her name is Edith and she is one of the seniors I get to visit monthly on my Meals-On-Wheels route. Edith was 8-years-old when her and her sister, along with most of her classmates, were sent out of Germany into Czechoslovakia. She left Germany with a tiny suitcase, and a tag hanging from yarn around her neck printed with her name.
Can you imagine sending your 8-year-old child to another country?
Without you.
During a war.
With no assurance of their safety.
And not cell phones or texts or way to contact them.
Without you… during a war!
Edith and her sister lived in Czechoslovakia for three years without their parents. Her mother was able to visit once, and when she saw where Edith was living she moved her to another family. Edith starts to tell me about the family she was placed with first, then stops as she glances at my children. The only thing she says is that she had a rough childhood and the family wasn’t good to her.
She remembers when the Russians invaded Czechoslovakia. It was the middle of the night when her teacher had to quickly get all the students into a cattle truck and drive back across the border into Germany.
Edith knows war.
Edith has lived in California, New York, Japan and India.
She has wonderful rich stories to tell.
And using her words, her life “is almost like a novel.”
Edith doesn’t have any children, and has been alone since her husband of 52 years died 8 years ago. She talks to her sister on the phone daily in Germany but she says she is lonely and difficult to make friends when you can’t drive.
I asked if we could pray over her. She said, yes.
Then she asked if she could pray over me and my children. I said yes.
She prayed the Lord’s Prayer in German.
It was beautiful.
This is why we do Meals-on-Wheels.
Life is just a collection of small moments… a collection of small stories.
Stories we get to tell to our children and more importantly stories we have the privilege of listening to.
From people who matter.
Like Edith.
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Grandma Annie says
Love to follow all you are doing. Creating tons of stars in all your family’s crowns. Would love to see you. Thanks for all the great info. I can share it on my mo. newsletter to the 288 structures in here. God is good!