"I am the matriarch of a whole family... someone who wasn't supposed to be here... because someone chose not to be a silent bystander."
You two sophomore classes were SO lucky to hear living history yesterday morning and afternoon in the form of Ms. Sonja DuBois, a Holocaust survivor, hidden child. We are so lucky that she and her sweet husband, Ron, came down to Cleveland from Knoxville to talk to my English II classes. She tells her story in such a quiet, gripping way, beginning with a visualization and ending with a plea to you to "pick a cause, any cause, that is close to your heart. Commit yourself to that cause for the rest of your life. You can't change the world, but you can accomplish a lot if you focus on a single area."
She also admonished you that "freedom isn't free. It can't be borrowed or purchased. It has to be protected. By you." This statement had quite an effect, apparently so much so that it turned up on a project today! The responses from your thank you letters to Veterans have shown you so this was a verification of the fact that people protect our freedom daily.
As I drove my speaker to my honors class back home this afternoon, I was struck by a very sobering thought. My two girls will likely never have the opportunity you had today. By the time they are old enough to hear the story of the Holocaust from someone who was there, those people will likely be gone or unable to travel to Cleveland and talk. I sincerely hope that you realize what a gift you received yesterday. And, like other gifts, this gift's effect will be determined by you. Will you heed her advice and make your life count for making a difference in the world, or will you be part of the 85% who were bystanders (or worse, the 10%)?
I would love to hear your reactions to her presentation.
Go to my other blog for information from the speaker for my honors class.
