The hallway erupted in raucous yelling, prompting the diligent first-grade teacher to return to the classroom. “This is NOT the way we walk down the hallway on the 100+ day of school, ” she sternly told them.
As she watched them exit to the playground minus the regular winter coat, she commented, ” Ah…the simple joys of not wearing a coat. Who would think it would bring so much happiness?”
The warm spring weather is a definite relief from the crazy winter weather, but it’s also a reminder of God’s goodness to us. Difficulties do not last forever.
The people of Ukraine filled my mind as the war images flashed across the screen. What are their simple joys? A friend posted a video that summed it all. ” He Will Hold Me Fast”. It all reminded me of my own grandparents during WWII. Here is one of the stories, written by my father.
For four years, Dad managed to snowball the Germans. However, in the spring of 1945, the Germans caught on and Dad had to go into hiding. He received word that the Germans figured out that he was tricking them. On April 16, Dad came home for a few minutes to take care of some urgent matters. Somehow, our place had been under surveillance because soon the Germans came and arrested him. I never will forget the sight of my dad walking down the road with a German pushing him in the back. We did not think we would see him again, but God had other plans. The Allied forces were on the outskirts of our town and the Germans were extremely nervous. The city hall, where my father was held, was surrounded by German troops, but they were in total confusion. One Dutch policeman, a friend of my dad, was working in the city hall. While this policeman kept an eye on the German troops, my dad escaped through the back door of the building and found his way home.
God will hold the Ukrainians fast, just like He continues to do for all of us.
A Journey Worth Remembering 