“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy, is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God.” —From Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl (1947).
Anne Frank lived in hiding in a cramped, secret upstairs annex of an office building for more than two years with her parents, sister, and four other Jewish people: Hermann and Auguste van Pels, their son Peter, and Fritz Pfeffer. The building was owned by Otto Frank’s company, and the entrance to the dark, damp hiding place was concealed by a bookcase. Anne and the seven other people could never venture outside. A small window in the attic through which she could see a chestnut tree was her only chance of getting fresh air. In a powerful reflection in her diary, she calls it “the remedy.”
Anne was fifteen when her family was discovered and sent to Auschwitz death camp, and later to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where she died weeks before British soldiers liberated the camp.
Today we give thanks for the life of Miep Gies, one of Mr. Frank’s employees, who helped the Frank family hide and later retrieved Anne’s diary. Otto was the only member to survive. He received the diary from Gies on returning to Amsterdam after the liberation.
Every day I know that I take Anne’s “remedy,” the world outside my window, for granted. I am putting Anne’s picture on my desk in hopes of honoring her short life and its truth.
Joanna. Joannaseibert.com
Just in time for the holidays
A Spiritual Rx for Advent Christmas, and Epiphany
The Sequel to A Spiritual Rx for Lent and Easter
Both are $18
All Money from sale of the books goes either to Camp Mitchel Camp and Conference Center in Arkansas or Hurricane Relief in the Diocese of Central Gulf Coast
Contact: joannaseibert@me.com