By Elaine Rassel
An appointment kept me away from the Marcus Public Library on Wednesday morning for their “Meet and Greet” on happenings at the Library concerning newly formed Board of Friends of the Library.
Sirens were sounding off on Thursday toward noon. What was happening? The kindergarten kids were getting a ride on the firetruck with some firemen dressed for the occasion accompanying them. This is always a day the kids look forward to.
Thursday evening, Kevin Wood, was at the Library giving his presentation of Abraham Lincoln. This talented man has 14 programs on Lincoln that he gives. To our amazement, the man from Orange City that was doing “Lincoln” a few years ago, was present at the Library. Wood had asked earlier if anyone knew if this man was around. It was said they thought he had died. Well, he was very much alive and afterwards went to speak to “this” Lincoln!
Kevin had a mask that he put on and then quickly took it off. It was of design that had a beard on the bottom part of the mask. It was hard to see that it was even a mask! However, he did not wear it for his presentation.
He did talk briefly about his step-mother that came to the Lincoln household after his mother died of “milk” disease. I wanted to know more about what this disease was and went to do some research on it. There is a separate article on this (if there was room) in this newspaper.
This past Monday was clean-up day in Marcus. There was one residence that looked like they took everything to the curb and left empty rooms. This certainly will be an extra trip for those taking things to the landfill.
I see where the one bank is closed due to Columbus Day. Nothing has been in the S.C. Journal about this day that some are calling “People’s Day”.
I read where more Holocaust survivors will get German pension. There is an organization that handles claims on behalf of Jews who suffered under the Nazis and has agreed that Germany is to give compensation to Jewish survivors who endured the World War II siege of Leningrad and as well as two other groups who had not received any monthly pensions from Germany.
Approximately 6,500 survivors around the world (primarily in Israel, North America, the former Soviet Union and Western Europe) will receive payments according to the New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany or in short, referred to as the Claims Conference. These new funds are for 4,500 Jews who survived the Leningrad siege with about 800 who lived mostly in hiding places in France during the Nazi’s terror reign, and some 1,200 Jewish survivors from Romania.
They are all to start getting a lifelong, monthly pension of $435 starting in July. They will get something for what they went through but only if they survived. (Most of these survivors are up in age, so there won’t be much of this pension going on for a length of time.)
I see where Uncle Ben’s rice brand is getting a new name: Ben’s Original. The original brand has been around for70 years. Quaker Oats has dropped Aunt Jemima from syrup and pancake packages, responding to criticism that the character’s origins were based on the “mammy,” a black woman content to serve her white masters. The new name is Pearl Milling Company. On this new-name box there is a small square with words, “Same Great Taste” and a picture of Aunt Jemima. Eskimo Pie is going to change its name and marketing of the nearly century-old chocolate-covered ice cream bar. The Washington NFL franchise dropped “Redskins” name and Indian head logo amid pressure from sponsors including FedEx, Nike, Pepsi and Bank of America.
Rhode Island is moving toward changing its official name to remove a portion that connotes slavery. “Providence Plantations” is being removed from the state’s official, Rhode Island and Providence plantations. The state seal may also be replaced or redesigned. Nearly 78% of the state’s voters opposed removing the phrase in 2010 when a similar resolution was made a ballot measure.
The faces on Mt. Rushmore, all but one, had a slave/slaves at one time. Nothing was mentioned at the Abraham Lincoln program (at the Library) about the Native American Indians saying Lincoln was responsible for the death of several Indians after they went on the rampage in Iowa and killed a good many white settlers. This issue of Lincoln came up when the other faces were accused of slavery. Someone wanted all of them “gone”.
For those who cannot “forgive” should get the article Kathy Yoder, who writes for the S.C. Journal, wrote on “forgiveness”. She wrote on a happening that Corrie ten Boom had written in her book, “The Hiding Place”. She, her father, and sister, Betsie lived in Holland during the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. It was May of 1940 when Hitler took over the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. Within six months anti-Jewish laws were established. The Jewish people were put in ghettos because they were Jewish. They were taken by train to concentration and extermination camps. Three-fourths of the Jewish people living in the Netherlands were murdered by the Nazi’s during World War II.
Corrie and her family became part of the Dutch underground resistance and hid Jewish people in their home (an estimated 800). Then someone betrayed them to the Gestapo and they were taken away to camps. Her father (age 84) died in a prison. Corrie and Betsie were taken to Ravensbruck concentration camp where Betsie died in 1944. It was 12 days later that Corrie was released from there. A week later all the women in her age group were murdered. A clerical error had her name mysteriously moved from the death list to the freedom list.
Corrie then traveled to more than 60 countries for 33 years telling them of the Lord and about forgiveness. She was speaking in a church in Munich when a man came up to her and extended his hand to her. She remembered him as a guard at the shower door where she and Betsie were. He told her he was grateful for her message. Corrie just stood there as memories flashed back to her. His hand was still extended as she was experiencing angry thoughts about him. Then it happened_As she took his hand, from her shoulder along her arm and through her hand a current seemed to pass from her to him, while into her heart s love sprang for this stranger.
Then Yoder asks her readers, “Are you holding onto unforgiveness? Are you unable to forgive yourself or others who’ve harmed you? Does bitterness grow inside you? Maybe you feel justified in your unforgiveness as Corrie was in hers. Yet, she knew it wa a sin to harbor it. Yoder goes on to say, “Let go of unforgiveness, of hatred, of bitterness today. You will feel as if a burden has been lifted from you.” Check with a Library to see if this book is available even though it was written many years ago.
Keep in your thoughts and prayers those who have lost loved ones to death, are coping with an illness or disease, are struggling with financial problems, need the courage to get back to work, and are having trouble extending a hand out to forgive a friend or family.
I will leave you with this quote from Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president: “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”