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The following day, thinking he is crazy for even
entertaining the notion of seeing
this young girl again, he looks out beyond the
fence, hoping. On the other side
of the barbed wire, the young girl yearns to
see again this tragic figure who
moved her so. She comes prepared with apple
in hand. Despite another day
of wintry blizzards and chilling air, two hearts
are warmed once again as the apple
passes over the barbed wire.
The scene is repeated for several days.
The two young spirits on opposite sides
of the fence look forward to seeing
each other, if only for a moment and if only
to exchange a few words. The interaction
is always accompanied by an exchange
of inexplicably heartening feelings. At the last
of these momentary meetings, the
young boy greets his sweet friend with a frown
and says, "Tomorrow, don't bring
me an apple, I will not be here. They are sending
me to another camp."
The young boy walks away, too heartbroken to look back.
From that day forward, the calming image of the
sweet girl would appear to him
in moments of anguish. Her eyes, her words,
her thoughtfulness, her red apple, all
were a recurring vision that would break his
nighttime sweats. His family died in the
war. The life he had known had all but
vanished, buth this one memory remained
alive and gave him hope.
In 1957 in the United States, two adults, both
immigrants, are set up on a blind
date. "And where were you during the war?"
Inquires the woman.
" I was in a concentration camp in Germany," the man replies.
" I remember I used to throw apples over the fence
to a boy who was in a
concentration camp," she recalls.
With a feeling of shock, the man speaks.
"And did that boy say to you one day,
'Don't bring an apple anymore because I am being
sent to another camp'?"
"Why, yes," she responds, "but how could you possibly know that?"
"He looks into her eyes and says, " I was that
young boy." There is a brief silence,
and then he continues, " I was separated from
you then, and I don't ever want to
be without you again. Will you marry me?"
They embrace one another as she says, "Yes."
On Valentine's Day 1996, on national telecast
of the Oprah Winfrey show,
this same man affirmed his enduring love to his
wife of forty years.
"You fed me in the concentration camp, " he said,
" you fed me throughtout all
these years; now, I remain hungry if only for
your love."
Comment: The darkest moments of one's life may
carry the seeds of the
brightest tomorrow.
-- THOUGHTS TO LIVE BY
TRUE LOVE: I accept you and I love you even
when I don't understand you.
You don't earn my love, you simply have it unconditionally.
You will always have
my love and acceptance regardless.