She was five years old during World War II and she would occasionally tell the horrific stories from that time in her life. Pets had to be slaughtered to feed the families. Food was difficult for my grandparents to find for their three little ones. In the streets there was talk of canabalism. Crime was huge and no one ever felt safe.
My mother talked about the smell of burning flesh every day. Our family was wealthy until this war. The Nazis ordered our family to vacate their land and beautiful houses. In an hour they were put on trains and shipped away.
After my mother told us a story about the war; she simply would say, "This is why I came to Canada." She was embarrassed about the effects the war had on the world. As a child in school, I was harrassed for being of German heritage.
When I was a small girl, my mother made all of us kids go to a church. Because we lived in government housing she knew we need God in our lives. At four I sang in front of the church, and felt the urge to do more for God.
Then, a few years later, she enrolled me in the Private Christian School. With the help of our Adventist church I was able to further connect with God. My mother made unbelievable sacrifices for me. She did things I never truly understood until I became a mother.
Today when I make sacrifices for my son, when I'm exhausted and I just don't see the point of it all anymore.... I remember my mother and how she dearly wanted for me to have a better life than the one she had, starting with WWII.
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