Seventy-five years ago this week, a little girl turned 13 and her dad gave her a diary as a gift. It was June 12, 1942. And the girl was Anne Frank.
She wrote about her life as a teenager and all the things her family had to endure while hiding from the Nazis during World War II. Sadly, the family was discovered and she died in 1945 at a concentration camp.
She was brave and wise beyond her years. Some of the things Anne wrote include…
“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!”
“In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.”
“The final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.”
Although she never left that room, her words touched millions of people. May we never forget Anne. And her message of, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
Thank you, Siobhan, for posting this.
I read The Diary of Anne Frank when I was a very young girl. I was a bit too young for it but I was a voracious reader and determined to consume every book on the shelf.
Afterward, I begged my parents to hide everything in our house that would indicate that we are Jewish. I had nightmares; I was certain the Gestapo would soon be knocking on our door, too…in Akron, Ohio!
I grew up. I’m not that scared anymore although, I must admit, I get nervous when I listen to some of the political rhetoric that’s out there these days.
However, this line from Anne’s diary stuck with me and became my life’s mantra: “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.” I do, too.
Betsy
Thank you for your comment Betsy. I believe in that line from Anne’s diary too. Thanks for sharing.