Strength to Endure

Anneliese Klein was a small girl when Hitler came to power in Germany. Her two brothers desert the family and join the army. Anneliese marries Kurt who is involved in hiding Jews. They hide a Jewish man who is discovered by the SS. Kurt and Anneliese are sent to Dachau. They both die, but their infant daughter, Liesl, is smuggled out of camp. She is adopted by a French couple who bring her to America. I've always liked stories about World War II and the Jews. This book was well written and suspenseful. I liked the short chapters and it touched my emotions. A gospel message was skillfully interwoven into the story.

Rain

I love the world after rain--the fresh air and green grass. Rain can catch us unprepared. Once I dashed across campus because I forgot an umbrella. I ran into a student who shared her umbrella. Maybe we should wish for continual sunshine, but we need rain. My friend Wendy from England loves to visit our sunny state. I never appreciated the sizzling summer days until she came. Rain spoils a parade or does it? It rained during the last parade I watched with my husband's mother. She laughed like a child as we huddled together under an umbrella. Flowers love rain and so do children if they can be outside. Rain brings all those puddles and gorgeous worms. Sometimes I feel like playing in the rain too.

Transformation

Today I went on an early morning bike ride. My legs pumped. My heart pounded and my hands griped smooth leather. I sped past joggers, dog handlers, and weight watchers. I heard birds chirping, sprinklers spraying, a train choo chooing and a plane rumbling. Pungent-scented exhaust floated on the air and a breeze tickled my face. My senses feasted in the present moments, but not always. Sometimes my mind reversed and I drifted back to long ago riding days. This time I was pumping on a sandy road, not a paved street. My younger self perched on a blue and silver Western flyer, with no gears, nothing fancy. Ahead stood old houses to explore, a canal to swim, and a country store to buy penny candy. Life was simpler then. A horn honked and I glanced behind, expecting to see my dad in the 60's Ford Falcon wagon. Instead an impatient teenager in a Honda Hybrid zipped around me and my mind snapped back. Again I'm a middle ager with all the joys an problems that maturity brings. But I don't worry. Tomorrow's another day, another bike ride, and another chance to be transformed.