The Prize Doesn't Always Go to the Most Deserving

Call me sentimental, my hormones are out of control and everything makes me cry. Oh the joys of pregnancy! This one really hit me!The Prize Doesn't Always Go to the Most Deserving

There recently was a death of a 98 year-old lady named Irena. During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist. She had an 'ulterior motive' ... She KNEW what the Nazi's plans were for the Jews, (being German.) Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried and she carried in the back of her truck a burlap sack, (for larger kids..) She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids/infants noises... During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants. She was caught, and the Nazi's broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it and reunited the family. Most had been gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted.

Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize ... She was not selected.
Al Gore won, for a slide show on Global Warming.

It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended. This story was sent to me in memory of the six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated!

Now, more than ever, with Iraq , Iran , and others, claiming the Holocaust to be 'a myth,' it's imperative to make sure the world never forgets, because there are others who would like to do it again.

These Little Wonders. . .

Forgive me for being sentimental, blame it on the pregnancy hormones, but this is what I have been thinking about lately. My mom has been talking to me about the lesson she is writing for Sunday about hope. We found this quote President Hinckley shared (not his own) in one of his talks:

“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just ordinary people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise…Life is life an old-time rail journey—delays, sidetracks, smoke , dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.”

Porter loves to watch this very odd but strangely hilarious movie in my mom's car called "Meet the Robinsons". There is a Rob Thomas song at the end that goes like this:
"let it go, let it roll right off your shoulder don't you know, the hardest part is over let it in, let your clarity define you in the end we will only just remember how it feels, our lives are made in these small hours these little wonders, these twists & turns of fate, time falls away, but these small hours still remain. "
Last night, as I was sitting on my bed feeling completely naucious watching Tom and Porter play on the floor, I found myself coming back to these thoughts. (sorry for the lack of pictures, Tom seems to always manage to have the cutest moments with Porter in his garments) Porter was beside himself with happiness finally getting to spend time with his daddy that he literally never sees. Life is hard and there are tons of things that you don't think you can make it through. (not really referring to my present situation because I have nothing to complain about) But it appears that for everyone, when it rains, it pours! I am grateful for those moments that may seem small and insignificant but that make life worth living. And I hope I never forget those moments.Can anyone say Grandpa Neil?