June 12, 2023 - Good Morning! It's Monday, June 12.
On June 12, 1942, a young girl turned thirteen. One of her birthday gifts was a small book with a lock on the front, a diary. She began writing in it that very first day, but wondered how the happenings of her humdrum life could ever fill its' pages. Less than a month later, the life of Anne Frank changed forever.
Her family, living in Amsterdam, was forced into hiding, threatened by the Nazis. And for the next two years, Anne would chronicle their harrowing experience in her diary. She had hopes of becoming a writer when she grew up. But, tragically, she would never have the chance to grow up. When she was fifteen, the Nazis found them, and before her sixteenth birthday, Anne Frank died in a German concentration camp.
Otto Frank, Anne's father, was the only member of the family to survive. On returning to Amsterdam, he found her diary. It was published as a book and became a bestseller. It was turned into a play and received the Pulitzer Prize. It was made into a movie and won the Oscar.
Her life was cut short, but her legacy has been long and powerful. The Diary of Anne Frank is standard reading material for school children around the world. Eighty years after her death, her voice still rings loud and clear. Her example of courage in the face of danger is a continuing inspiration. And her words, written during one of the darkest moments in human history, continue to give us hope.
"I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart."
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
