They Came First for the _________

I believe this still holds true today. Some may change the categories to ethnicity, children (ie. abortion, fostering, orphans, etc.), human trafficking, or even beliefs, etc. What do you personally believe. Is it based in TRUTH, and fact? Are you standing firm in that belief so that you can help those who can't stand on their own?

The above image is likely the more common version many Americans would know of Pastor Martin Niemöller's THEY CAME FIRST poem. It can be seen on the Holocaust memorial in Boston, MA along the Freedom Trail.

They came first for the Communists, 

and I did not speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, 

and I did not speak up because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists, 

and I did not speak up because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics, 

and I did not speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me, 

and there was no one left to speak up.

My husband and I had a long lay over in Boston this past fall on our way (ironically) to Germany for a short family vacation. We walked portions of the Freedom Trail, and were surprised to see a memorial related to the Holocaust. We associated the Freedom Trail only to the fight on Slavery in the US. I was grateful that someone had the forethought to include memorials to other historical events related to Freedom. It can be so easy to forget these lessons learned, especially if they took place before our time and/or in another country where we personally don't see the daily difference.

I urge you to dig deeper into your faith, and stand firm in your beliefs. God has given us a life so we can live with a purpose, make your purpose count for someone else. 

A great example of someone standing firm in her belief was Corrie Ten Boom. She recorded her memories of her efforts to protect Jews in the Netherlands during the Holocaust in her book The Hiding Place. Parents, if you haven't read this, do so before sharing with children. There are portions that are best saved until children are a bit older, but the overall message is something to share with even the littlest ones in your home. Another book about standing up (also during the Holocaust) is Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, which is geared towards the younger reader (9-11 years old).



And to the teachers, advisers, mentors, managers/ bosses, colleagues, friends, family, pastors, youth leaders, and church body that have taken their stand for me during times of my failings, weakness, and illness, I say Thank You. I hope I will one day be able to make as much of a difference and breath Christ's love into someone else's life by taking a stand and helping to protect as you have in mine. Many of you don't know the impact you've had on my life, and I'm sure there are others who stood up for me that I'm not even aware of. THANK YOU to all of you.

(Original Text & Translation from WikiQuotes)
Als die Nazis die Kommunisten holten,
habe ich geschwiegen;
ich war ja kein Kommunist. 

Als sie die Sozialdemokraten einsperrten,
habe ich geschwiegen;
ich war ja kein Sozialdemokrat. 

Als sie die Gewerkschafter holten,
habe ich nicht protestiert;
ich war ja kein Gewerkschafter.

Als sie die Juden holten,
habe ich geschwiegen; 
ich war ja kein Jude. 

Als sie mich holten,
gab es keinen mehr,
der protestieren konnte.

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;

I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,

I remained silent;

I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,

I did not speak out;

I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,

I remained silent;

I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,

there was no one left to speak out.

To my Sister

Several years ago, when I moved away for college, my sister, Jolene, gave me a daily calendar that was filled with quotes for Sisters. I have kept several of those quotes to remind me how blessed and lucky I am to have her in my life. Since then, I have also gained several more sisters (sister-in-laws) and I am reminded each time I read these how much God has played an amazing role in each of our lives individually and as a family.

If you have a sister, whether you speak to her or not, I hope these will remind you how wonderful she is.

"A sister is a gift of GOD, sent from above to make life worthwhile here below." - Anonymous

"Every sister has a fund of embarrassing stories she can bring out at the most effective moment." - Pamela Dugdale

"We acquire friends and we make enemies, bur our sisters come with the territory." - Evelyn Loeb

"Write your sister's weak points in the sand and her strong points in stone." - Anonymous

"Sisters may share the same mother and father but appear to come from different families." - Anonymous

"You should never look down on a sister except to pick her up." - Anonymous

"If you don't understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, then you were probably an only child." - Linda Sunshine

"What's the good of news if you haven't a sister to share it?" - Jenny De Vries

These are two of my favorites that resonate so much with my sister and I. 

"The best thing about having a sister was that I always had a friend." - Cali Rae Turner

"You can kid the world, but not your sister." - Charlotte Gray

My beautiful sister, Jolene.
Life wouldn't be worth it without you Jo!

You can't tell we're sisters at all can you?
We get mistaken as twins quite frequently.