A lot was special about the Friends’
meeting this past week. First, we had almost record attendance, as only two of
our active members were absent. Second, we didn’t have to cook! Well, one of us
did. Host Carol prepared the entire meal for us, featuring her wonderful
chicken divan, which I think should be called chicken divine. She said it was
her way of saying “thank you” for the support she received last fall in the
loss of her husband. Third, we met on Tuesday rather than Monday night, since danger
and uncertainty churned across much of Oklahoma on Monday. Relief and
thankfulness prevailed at this meeting, and there was a special joy in
realizing we were all alive and able to gather. But, in true Friends’ spirit,
there were also sadness and sympathy for our neighbors in Moore—fellow Okies who
were picking through the ruins of demolished homes and nursing the raw
emotional wounds of losing precious loved ones. For Faye, one of our members,
the tragedy touched very close to home. Her son and his wife lost their house
and belongings.
Our reading selection for this month
was The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman. As
with most
historical fiction, the story is based on an incredible yet true
scenario. After being separated before World War II, a husband and wife reunite
after sixty years and thousands of miles of separation. Richman takes that seed
of reality and adds many more facts—some horrifying, some intriguing—about the
Holocaust. She takes the reader inside the Jewish ghetto at
Terezin with its
inhuman conditions. But she also shows the intrepid hearts and souls of some of
its occupants, particularly those who chose to fight the Nazis the only way
they knew how—
with their art. In juxtaposing the worst and best of humanity,
she weaves a tale that is at once heartbreaking and uplifting.
I felt this novel was particularly
appropriate for the Friends this month. If ever people need to be reminded of
the strength and resiliency of the human spirit, it is in times of heartache
and disaster. The Lost Wife answers the call. Her female protagonist Lenka, offers valuable
insight for surviving tragedy: “...not to look back, but to focus on each new
day.” As evidenced by the photos below, Oklahomans excel at that.
 |
| Devastation, Moore, Oklahoma May 23, 2013 |
 |
Focusing on a new day...worn by woman helping her sister
and brother-in-law salvage their belongings |
 |
| Rising from the rubble |
historical fiction, the story is based on an incredible yet true
scenario. After being separated before World War II, a husband and wife reunite
after sixty years and thousands of miles of separation. Richman takes that seed
of reality and adds many more facts—some horrifying, some intriguing—about the
Holocaust. She takes the reader inside the Jewish ghetto at Terezin with its
inhuman conditions. But she also shows the intrepid hearts and souls of some of
its occupants, particularly those who chose to fight the Nazis the only way
they knew how—with their art. In juxtaposing the worst and best of humanity,
she weaves a tale that is at once heartbreaking and uplifting.
Such an accurate commentary on the spirit and resiliency of Oklahomans--and the Circle of Friends.I'll have to pick up that book.
ReplyDeleteI am saddened to hear about Faye's family.