tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30458926.post5729128135855373469..comments2024-03-06T01:00:34.570-05:00Comments on Whatever He Says: Chris and NellBelindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09251920708783268740noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30458926.post-28657802039026689002009-06-11T22:51:19.132-04:002009-06-11T22:51:19.132-04:00Belinda,
I am responding late to this post.
As ...Belinda,<br /><br />I am responding late to this post. <br /><br />As I read about the lives of your family on Mondays, I am deeply moved. Moved because the care you've taken to find out their stories and the courage you muster to tell them.<br /><br />The heritage you have, the legacy that has been left to you, and the new chapters your life will add to your family story, are interesting and delightful.<br /><br />I guess I am amazed at what a small part we play in the big picture of life. There are 6 billion people in the world. You and I and all of us are only one. That is humbling. <br /><br />Yet our lives matter significantly when we each tell our story. When we look at the tapestry of our lives, chase down those threads, rich colour and beauty emerges. <br /><br />Yet there are loose threads, and the back is never as neat as the front. Meaning I guess, that no life is without its messes, its stray threads, yet the beauty is in the whole piece. It is only the Master Weaver that can weave such intricate designs for each of us.<br /><br />Thanks for sharing your story and may He bless each word you write and heal every part of you. May you emerge from this, a pilgrim who reaches that beautiful mountain - free of this worldly load.<br /><br />Love to you my friendJoyful Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10808201481346874191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30458926.post-89111965674293580552009-06-09T16:22:27.321-04:002009-06-09T16:22:27.321-04:00Hey Angcat, I hope I wasn't too harsh in my co...Hey Angcat, I hope I wasn't too harsh in my comment, I didn't mean to be. I understand now much better what you were saying. My reaction is due to hearing someone say, 'I wouldn't have abused my child if I had been given more support.' I was so upset by that remark, I can't tell you. A couple hours later I read your comment and, of course, my reaction was coloured by my emotions.Dave Hingsburgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11918601687946534172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30458926.post-72286575455898204222009-06-09T10:58:59.039-04:002009-06-09T10:58:59.039-04:00Hi Dave and thanks Belinda for knowing me well eno...Hi Dave and thanks Belinda for knowing me well enough.<br />Please forgive me for not being clear in how I stated about not being culpable.<br />We are definitely all responsible for the decisions we make and the outcomes, but Belinda was right and more eloquently said it than I could have.<br />I too hate the 'not my fault' way of thinking and am constantly trying to teach my children that freedom comes with accepting responsibility for our choices.<br /><br />I didn't mean that no one was to blame for what happened in that terrible time in history. But if this one family reached out in friendship to these two boys who were far from home, on a terrible tour of duty, then I cannot blame this family. If we all only knew the big picture of the decisions that we make, we might make them differently.<br />Yet I'm willing to believe that these friendships were a safe and loved haven for those German boys, and that God must have had His loving hand in those relationships too.<br /><br />Thank you for challenging me on this. These dialogues sharpen us, our ideas and the way we communicate them.<br /><br />AngAngcathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16043637983576750246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30458926.post-75617997888496277612009-06-08T17:56:59.532-04:002009-06-08T17:56:59.532-04:00Yes, Dave, I agree, although, me being me, I think...Yes, Dave, I agree, although, me being me, I think I know what Ang meant. She was being kind and expressing the truth that people didn't always see where the road they were on was going to lead. I know that was likely the case with Mum's family, but it led somewhere ugly and by that time there was no turning back without the kind of heroism that I think is rare outside of the movies.Belindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09251920708783268740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30458926.post-83093577200283568932009-06-08T16:28:48.501-04:002009-06-08T16:28:48.501-04:00Angcat, do you really believe that no one was (or ...Angcat, do you really believe that no one was (or by implication is) culpable for their behaviour? I strongly disagree and am concerned about the 'not my fault' attitude that permeates society. i believe I am responsible for my actions and the results of my actions. I may be 'forgiven' but a state of grace does not equal a state of blamelessness. Belinda describes her family engaging in acts of friendship, not collaboration - these things got confused in an emotional time ... even so we live the live we live and need God because we are who we are.Dave Hingsburgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11918601687946534172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30458926.post-89731398760652697992009-06-08T11:44:09.797-04:002009-06-08T11:44:09.797-04:00Dear Belinda,
I echo Dave's comments of 'h...Dear Belinda,<br />I echo Dave's comments of 'hard'. I can't imagine. You are brave and the healing is in the telling. Nobody is culpable. It just happened the way it did.<br /><br />I am amazed at the information and photos that you have.<br /><br />I have a cousin who is the family historian for my Mum's side.<br /><br />You inspire me to sit down with both my parents and learn their stories in more depth.<br /><br />Love AAngcathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16043637983576750246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30458926.post-15346084235437233892009-06-08T07:16:29.323-04:002009-06-08T07:16:29.323-04:00"Hard to tell." You are right, my friend..."Hard to tell." You are right, my friend. Last week's post in particular, was emotionally exhausting as I put together the pieces in a way I never had before. It was actually such a relief to move beyond the part of our family history that has haunted me since my teenage years. Back then, as a child of the carefree sixties, I heard a true story of the forties that was devastating to me. I'm glad I got that part out though, and the rest won't be as hard! :)Belindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09251920708783268740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30458926.post-31730485291046572812009-06-08T06:16:59.999-04:002009-06-08T06:16:59.999-04:00We read a lot of fiction set in these times and it...We read a lot of fiction set in these times and it's easy to understand why. They were times of great import, the world was shaken up, brought together and torn apart. I look eagerly forward to these Mondays but I imagine some of the tale is hard to tell. You are doing a wonderful job of it.Dave Hingsburgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11918601687946534172noreply@blogger.com