I am a Christian, a retired teacher, a mother and a grandmother. I love to read and I love the Lord Jesus Christ! Unless otherwise specified ,all visual illustrations are from the YOU VERSION APP of the Bible.
Author: vicklea
I love to read! I’m a retired teacher with a spouse of 45 years, three amazing children and nine wonderful grandchildren. I am blessed!
From the very beginning, God knew that mankind needed companionship, relationship.
Thus, God established marriage. One man and one woman for life, the way God meant for it to be.
But marriage is not the only relationship we have. We also have a relationship with our Heavenly Father, with an open invitation to worship and pray and come into His presence. And we have friends, those God has placed in our lives for us to ask for help or for us to give them help. We are generally doing one or the other with our friends. We can be honest with them and admit that we are not sufficient to do all the things alone. So, God gave us friends to stand alongside us and hold us up when we are falling.
We were not meant to go through life lonely and trying to do a solo act all the time. There are many times when we just need to talk to someone and there are other times when we need assistance with something. I have a good friend from church who contacts me several times a week just to make sure that Harry and I are okay. She offers to bring us food when we are sick and when we had to move to the auxiliary room at church because of the noise of the bass, she moved with us. She told us that church is for fellowship and she will be our fellowship. Do you have someone that you can call on at any time and they will respond? That is a true friend and that is what Bonnie is.
One of the ways we show love is to just be available. God is always available to us, ready to hear our cry for help and to comfort, heal and answer. He showed us the example of a loving relationship so that we can show the world what marital love and what friendship look like. In a world where people are climbing over each other to get to the top, let’s be the ones to be noticed for helping, not hindering. Let’s be the ones to comfort, not compete. Let’s be the ones to give, not always take. The world may never see what we are doing or know why, but God sees and knows. He is our real BFF (best friend forever).
Observing Sabbath-rest allows us to step into the same rhythm God established in creating the world. Scripture tells us when God rested from His work, it was because His work was complete (Genesis 2:1). God took joy in His accomplishment.
In Hebrews 4:10, the writer draws a parallel between God’s rest and ours: “for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.” We’re invited to delight in His presence and share in God’s divine contentment.
This rest isn’t about taking a break from good works. It’s about surrendering the need to control by trusting in the completeness of God’s work. Our “rest” releases us from the burden of proving ourselves good enough to earn His love and approval. These things have been secured through Jesus’ finished work on the cross. When we step into this rhythm of rest we can find contentment that spills over into every part of our lives.
Is God calling you to stop trying to do everything on your own and instead find peace in Jesus’ finished work on the cross?
Lay down your burdens, not out of laziness, but surrender. Believe that the One who made the world also takes care of you.
My Thoughts
I really needed today’s devotional today and hope that it speaks to your heart, too. The part that spoke to me the most is above and I changed the print to make it stand out. All my life, I have struggled to be accepted, to be good enough to win approval. First from my parents, then from my friends and then various administrators for whom I taught. Once I accepted the Lord, I knew in my mind that He had accepted me just as I was, but I still had difficulty getting this truth into my heart. I had gone through years of not being good enough. My mom told me she never wanted me, called me ugly and told me I had to go to college since no one would ever want to marry me. My father abandoned me and sought drugs as his source of comfort. My friends were good while they lasted, but we kept moving to new places so I never really got close to anyone until we moved to Virginia. And my bosses gave infrequent kudos and little appreciation. I found that no one could demand the same perfectionism that I demanded of myself. Then, Jesus stepped into my life and I could breathe for the first time the clean air of complete love and acceptance. I didn’t have to get good grades, be a stellar employee or do a lot of favors to win approval. I already had it. Today’s devotional is a reminder to me of how far I have come from the child who was not loved to the child of the King who is loved eternally. God is good and wants us to rest in Him and be totally content with who He made us to be.
They are words of priestly blessing, for it is part of the work of priests to bless the people: “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites’” (Num. 6:23). One thinks of Melchizedek as he blessed Abraham and of our Lord himself, “a high priest for ever, in the order of Merlchizedek” (Heb. 6:20). “Today,” says Andrew Murray in a memorable comment, “He comes to meet thee, as thou returnest from the battle weary and faint. Bow before Him, and let Him bless thee!”
It is frequently the privilege of Christian ministers to utter these words of blessing – their privilege, but not their sole prerogative, for we believe in the priesthood of all believers. Let them give the words their full meaning, and then the blessers and the blessed will be able to sing.
My Thoughts
I am blessed to be a blessing and thank God daily for His love for me. I saw my nephrologist on Monday and he did the usual lab tests to check my kidney function. I was delighted when the report came back that all of my numbers are in the normal range and my kidney is stable. What a blessing that was to me! And what a blessing each of you who reads my daily thoughts is to me, also! I pray for each of you to know the unfathomable love of the Father and that you, too, may know that you are blessed to be a blessing.
“A charming cast of characters, a twisty mystery, and a diabolical killer make Nothing Ever Happens Here impossible to put down. A riveting page-turner with a sly sense of humor.” —Robyn Harding, internationally bestselling author of The Haters
Nothing ever happens in small towns…
When Shelby Dawson survives a harrowing attack that should have left her dead, she tries to move past it—for herself, and for her family. Fifteen months later, with the help of her best friend, Mackenzie, she finally feels safe again in the snowy Minnesota town she calls home. But when an anonymous note appears on her windshield bearing the same threats her attacker made, Shelby realizes that her nightmare has only just begun.
As new evidence surfaces, and a group of well-meaning senior citizens accidentally makes the case go viral online, the situation quickly goes from bad to worse. And with suspicious accidents targeting those closest to her happening all over town, Shelby can’t shake the feeling that she’s being watched. Fighting to stay one step ahead of disaster, she finds herself asking the question on everyone’s lips: Who attacked her that night?
But Shelby isn’t the only one with questions. Mackenzie’s husband, Leo, vanished without a trace on that terrible night, and over a year later, no one knows why. Until a deep dive into his finances reveals a history of debts, mismanaged funds, and hidden accounts—one of which is still active. Their suspicion that Leo is still alive only complicates things further, though, and when another person connected to Shelby goes missing, she’s caught in a race against time before her attacker becomes a killer.
My Thoughts
This novel is like a roller coaster ride going around curves and downhill the entire time. The twists just keep coming and kept me guessing as a small town is faced with disappearances, money laundering and even a possible murder. Two friends, Mackenzie and Shelby, both face unimaginable crises. Mack’s husband is missing and Shelby is attacked the same night that Leo disappears. There are so many creative and original page-turning and head-spinning twists that I cannot explain without giving away too much of the plot, but suffice it to say that the story was engaging, fast-moving and written with an edge that kept me reading. There is also the comic relief provided by the elderly residents of Oleander, a residence operated by Shelby. These residents are smart and protective of Shelby and want to help solve the crimes going on around town but end up getting themselves in trouble for their efforts. I really enjoyed the characterization because it was spot on fascinating and totally realistic. The elderly were quirky, Shelby was terrified and Mack was understandably frantic about her missing husband and her financial situation. Even the secondary characters like the Shelby’s children and husband Clay were believable and authentically portrayed. I enjoyed the story with its intense suspense sprinkled into the drama of the friends. With a complex plot and a mystery to try to solve, the author did a fantastic job of pulling me into the story and not letting to until the satisfying ending. This would be a great book to discuss in a book group since the characters are so varied and the plot is so memorable. Disclaimer I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.
Contemporary Fiction, General Fiction, Rated PG-16
About the Author
Seraphina Nova Glass is an assistant professor of instruction and playwright in residence at the University of Texas, Arlington, where she teaches film studies and playwriting. Her novel On A Quiet Street was nominated for an Edgar Award, was a New York Times Summer Read, an Amazon Bestseller and Editor’s Pick, and also featured in the Boston Globe and Bustle. Publishers Weekly has named her “a writer to watch.” She’s also an award-winning playwright and holds an MFA degree in dramatic writing from Smith College and a second MFA in directing from the University of Idaho. She is a proud dog mom and loves to travel the world with her husband. She resides in Dallas, Texas.
The steps to becoming a Christian can be broken down into these three simple actions. First, you have to believe that God sent His Son to die for you and that He was resurrected, thus making eternity with God the reward.
But if all you do is believe it, that won’t help much. The Bible says that even the demons believe, but they are destined for eternity away from God, not with Him. The next step is very important because it puts you in the driver’s seat of making the right choice. If someone gives you a gift, they have it in their hand and are holding it out to you, and you just walk away, did you receive it? Of course not! That is what God is doing; He gave His Son Jesus and you have to receive the gift of His love, mercy and grace in order to partake of the salvation that He wants to give you. The choice is to turn away from sin, repent and receive the free gift of God. Many people, including some of my family members, think that they are good and don’t do bad things, so that means that when they die, they will go to Heaven. I have multiple friends who believe that if they go to church and confess their sins weekly, they are good to go for eternity. Unfortunately, these people are trying to make up their own rules for getting into God’s presence and He has already firmly established what it takes. He doesn’t expect one thing of one person and another thing of another. Everyone has the same expectations.
Each individual has to believe and receive on order to have the promise of eternal life.
The third part of salvation is to start doing the things you read in God’s Word that you should be doing. And, it goes without saying, you cannot do what is in God’s Word if you aren’t reading it to find out what is there. If you are making a brand new-to-you recipe and never look at the instructions, the chances that the dish you are making will turn out the way it is supposed to are slim to none. God’s Word is our instruction book for our lives, so if we never read it, how will we know how we are supposed to live. How do we do what it says when we don’t know what it says?
When I was a pre-teen, I remember that one day my mom came to my bedroom door and was talking about something. I had no idea what she said because I didn’t really listen since I was reading or doing homework at the time. I do know that she ended with, “Well, get started and do what I told you to do!” I had no idea what she had told me to do, so I had to ask her, a question that made her very angry since I had missed an entire speech about what she wanted me to accomplish. That’s what it’s like, I think, when God is telling us to do something and we just tune Him out because we are preoccupied with other things. We need to tune into God and His Word and tune out the world and all of its distractions. That way, we can truly LISTEN to what He wants us to do, including how to act and react.
One of the most important instructions in the Bible is to GO. This is a command, not a suggestion. No matter where we are going, we should have in mind that our directive is to make disciples. We cannot follow through if we are not open to the leading of the Holy Spirit who will tell us plainly what to say and to whom, if we are listening. I have discovered that most people don’t have the time or desire to listen to me tell them all about the Roman road to salvation, but they usually listen intently to personal testimony backed up with scripture. Maybe I am doing things all wrong, but I consider what I do to be planting seeds. God will send someone else to plant more seeds and to water and He will harvest. Sometimes, I get the privilege of seeing the person again and planting more seeds or even doing the watering. Whether that is true or not, I hope and pray that what I do is beneficial to building God’s kingdom and fulfilling His command to “go and make disciples.”
Finally, there are a lot of commands in the Bible. We can read them and obey them or we can choose to ignore them and be disobedient. Obey is one of the actions that we are to take once we believe and receive. Seek God and His truth and then act on what He tells you to do. The same God who made you wants to spend eternity with you. It’s your choice. Do you want to believe, receive and act? Dust off your Bible or pick up your phone and install a Bible app. I recommend the YouVersion, but there are many different apps you can use. Just start, take one step at a time in this walk of faith that starts with believing. God bless all who have read this blog post today and may the Lord lead you and guide you to follow His instruction book to eternal life.
My husband constantly reminds me that I am a “detail person.” I notice things that others might not notice, like one thing out of place in a room full of things. He says I am a Type A personality and he is probably right. I think of it as modeling God because God pays attention to details. If you don’t believe me, read the description that He gave to Moses about how to prepare and set up the tabernacle.
Notice that word “exactly.” God had a plan and he trusts Moses to carry it out, exactly as He has shown him. God has a plan for each of us, too and we have to ask for directions daily about what we are to do that day to carry out His plan for us.
We are the Lord’s dwelling place here on earth, and just as He has exact plans for the tabernacle, He created each of us in a unique way and just the way He wants us to be. I used to question God’s wisdom in giving me defective lungs, one kidney and an extra rib. But I got over that a long time ago. What a blessing it is to be able to share with people that I didn’t even know I have a single kidney until I was in my 50’s. That single kidney has continued to do its job well, even though the doctors say I am in Stage 3 kidney failure. I go to see my nephrologist every few months (today is the day again!) who does lab work and encourages me to eat the foods my kidney will process and omit the foods that it can no longer handle. So, my diet is low sodium because of my stroke and low potassium and low nitrates because of my kidney. Do I miss not being able to have foods like potatoes and bananas and few carrots and salad mix? Honestly, not so much anymore. But when I first had to give them up, I was not a happy camper. Now, I am used to it. And I don’t think God made a mistake in creating me this way. It’s my “thorn in the flesh” that lets me be a better witness for Jesus. God is a God of details and the fact that I was born with one kidney was not a surprise to Him. When my kidney started not working as well, God didn’t say, “Really? That’s strange. I never expected that!” God knew that detail already and was prepared to bring me down this path of life, holding my hand and leading me the whole way, even during my whining phase.
I may not be 100% the way I would like to be, but I know that I am perfectly made in God’s eyes. Just as He told Moses how to make the tabernacle, God had a plan for how I would be made and it has been a good one for over seventy years. As I told my children, I am not leaving this earth until God tells me it’s time. He created me, established my number of days on the earth and my various health issues don’t change His plans for me.
God is not a mediocre Creator who halfway does His job and then sits back idly waiting for bad things to happen to what He created. Not at all! God pays attention to every detail and is an excellent and loving Creator. Much as I notice small details in rooms I have visited before, God notices every detail of our lives. He created each of us and called that creation. “Very good.” I want to use all of the time that He has given me on earth to glorify Him, giving Him praise for the wonderful work He did when He made me and the continued good work that He is doing daily in my soul as He reaches out to me daily and gives me His loving wisdom from His Word. May each of you remember to praise God today, thanking Him that you are His living tabernacle!
God created. I believe and accept His gracious gifts that He has given us. I appreciate all that is around me, all that shows me God’s love and creativity.
The waves at Myrtle Beach, SC. Aren’t they gorgeous and powerful? The Bible says that God made these waves, separating the sky from the waters on earth and set the limits that the waves can go, this creating the beaches.
God created all of the trees and all of the plants that we use for food. He also created breathtaking flowers like this rose in my garden that blooms every spring and every fall.
I created this on Canva from a photo that our grandson sent us of Mount Fuji in Japan. God made the mountains, the valleys, all of the landforms that we enjoy. I really enjoy the mountains since I grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge.
And, finally, I appreciate that God made me and all of my family. The top photo is me and my husband on our 50th wedding anniversary. The middle photo is our children when they were very young. The bottom row includes our daughter’s five children, our son and his son, our son and his daughter, and our youngest son and his family. We are blessed indeed.
When I was growing up, during my teen years, I remember multiple times asking my mother if I could do something that all of the other kids were doing, like stay out all night with a group of boys and girls. The answer was always “no” because my mom said it wasn’t “proper.” My argument would be that everyone else was doing it. And my mom’s reply was always, “If everyone else goes ahead and jumps off a bridge into a rocky water, are you going to be foolish and do the same thing?” I didn’t think at the time that made much sense, but with many years and raising my own three children behind me, I finally understood what she was saying.
God basically tells us the same thing in His Word. He took us out of Egypt, which represents sin, so why do we keep wanting to go back there? The answer is the same as what I gave my mom: everyone else is doing it. It seems that the whole world minus the practicing Christians have decided that wrong is right and right is wrong. You can be any gender you want, you can have sexual relationships with anyone you want at anytime whether you are married or not, and you can generally do anything that makes you feel good. That is what the world teaches. But it isn’t what God says.
“You must not do” is a strong admonition to not choose to sin. The land of sin that we left behind when we chose to follow God didn’t disappear. It is still there, enticing us to join in and enjoy all of the pleasures of sexual immorality and idolatry that the world has to offer. But God says “no.”
This scripture verse is spoken to the Israelites, but God also calls His chosen people to be holy. We are to be set apart, to be different rather than joining in on the destruction of our own souls.
God repeats His admonition to be holy in the New Testament, just in case we are deceived into thinking that the Old Testament regulations don’t apply to us. God didn’t say to “try” to be holy. He said to BE HOLY. This is a daily choice we make to walk away from sin, even if everyone else seems to be doing it.
How are we able to walk away in the face of constantly being bombarded with temptation? It takes a daily renewal of our mind through God’s Word and spending time with Him. How much time do we spend filling our mind with garbage from the internet and from our televisions and radios? Turning them off and focusing on God is what will help to renew our mind. Remember the adage: GIGO (garbage in, garbage out). The temptation to sin is everywhere so we have to turn away and focus on what God says, not what the world says is acceptable.
So, what is the reward for turning away from sin and walking with God? We are blessed. If we walk with the sinners, we will sin. If we keep company with those who mock God and our faith, we will be more and more tempted not to stand firm because the natural human tendency is to want to fit in. It’s a hard word, but we are to be separated from the world and its enticement to sin, not align ourselves with it. But, you say, we need to witness, to be ambassadors for Christ. That is absolutely correct! But do you recall one instance in which Jesus sinned? Of course not! He never chose to sin; He admonished others to “go and sin no more” but not once did He ever join in with their debauchery or sinful behavior. He made the same choice we have to make. We are in the world, sharing His Word with others, but we don’t join the world in making sinful choices.
God is our Lord and we have to choose to act like He is our Sovereign King in every choice that we make. The customs of today’s world are detestable and despicable, an affront to our Creator. We cannot in good conscience join in on the sinful revelry and not expect to suffer consequences and a distance from God. God doesn’t move away from us, so we should never choose to move away from Him.
If you want to have a relationship with our Creator, it is imperative that you spend time with Him. One of the best ways to do that is to spend time reading and studying His Word. That is where you find out about His love and His promises to each of us. It is hard for us finite beings to conceive of an infinite God, One who is not restrained by time and who set the whole world into motion. In reading His Word, we get a small understanding of who He is, more and more each day we spend time with Him. He shows us who He is, what His plan for the world is, and what His purpose for us is, all through His Word.
When you sign a contract, you think that it will all be carried out. But sometimes, that just doesn’t happen. Marriage comes to mind. Most of us enter into marriage with the idea that it is for life. Then, problems come up and one or both of you decide to “void the contract” and start a new life without that other person. I have never suffered that break in a contract, but I have had numerous friends and family members who have. Divorce is not an easy thing to go through because promises were made and then somehow broken. Sometimes our experiences in life keep us from wanting to have a close relationship with God because we don’t really trust someone we can’t see. After all, those we see are constantly disappointing us.
God is different in a way that is almost impossible to describe because each individual has to have a personal relationship with Him in order to get to know Him. And you cannot get to know Him without starting with faith and a belief that He will do just as He has said in His Word. The ironic thing is that you won’t know what is in His Word unless you read and study it. So, we have come full circle. Why read God’s Word? The short answer is to know Him. The real answer is to know who you are meant to be in relationship with Him. We were never meant to travel this world with unfurled sails and without a rudder or compass. God provides both in His Word, both the power and the direction we need to go. I hope that if you have not started already, you will begin a daily journey of getting to know the One who knows you best and loves you most. Just pick up a Bible and read God’s love story to you. I recommend that you start with the Book of John. Find a Bible plan online and stick to it. Get together with a friend or a group of friends to discuss what you have discovered about God each week. Establish a firm foundation with the One whose word never fails.
“A fast-paced and vibrant wartime tale of holding on to love against the odds and learning to fight for the truth.” –Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Daughter
A Parisian department store, a mysterious necklace and a woman’s quest to unlock a decade-old mystery are at the center of this riveting novel of love and survival, from New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff
London, 1953. Louise is still adjusting to her postwar role as a housewife when she discovers a necklace in a box at a secondhand shop. The box is marked with the name of a department store in Paris, and she is certain she has seen the necklace before worked with the Red Cross in Nazi-occupied Europe —and that it holds the key to the mysterious death of her friend Franny during the war.
Following the trail of clues to Paris, Louise seeks help from her former boss Ian, with whom she shares a romantic history. The necklace leads them to discover the dark history of Lévitan—a once-glamorous department store that served as a Nazi prison, and Helaine, a woman who was imprisoned there, torn apart from her husband when the Germans invaded France.
Louise races to find the connection between the necklace, the department store and Franny’s death. But nothing is as it seems, and there are forces determined to keep the truth buried forever. Inspired by the true story of Lévitan, Last Twilight in Paris is both a gripping mystery and an unforgettable story about sacrifice, resistance and the power of love to transcend in even the darkest hours.
My Thoughts
This historical fiction novel includes a multi-layered plot, mesmerizing and realistic characters, dual timelines and two different points of view. The timelines are close together, in the 40’s during the war and in the 50’s following the war and I found this a unique perspective from most historical fiction. One narrator is Helaine, a Jew in Paris who is captured and forced to work in a former upscale department store. There she has to sort and sell things that the Nazis have confiscated from the Jewish people they have sent to prison camps. The second narrator is Louise, a housewife in London who finds a necklace that she saw on the day a good friend died during the war. Louise is determined to go on a quest to find the other half of the necklace and to find out what really happened the night that Franny died. There are a lot of characters, a great deal of history and a completely absorbing plot as Louise follows the clues to a resolution and Helaine’s story of forced labor and being away from her beloved husband are told. I enjoyed the details of the story, especially the way the layers dovetailed together seamlessly at the conclusion. I also liked meeting the characters who were realistically flawed, with love lives that were not perfect and their dreams that they tried to fulfill. This is a timeless story of persistence, friendship, loyalty and tragedy that is memorable and a great book for discussion. Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own. (Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”)
Historical Fiction with content about treatment of war prisoners, Rated PG
About the Author
Pam Jenoff is the author of several books of historical fiction, including the NYT bestseller The Orphan’s Tale. She holds a degree in international affairs from George Washington University and a degree in history from Cambridge, and she received her JD from UPenn. Her novels are inspired by her experiences working at the Pentagon and as a diplomat for the State Department handling Holocaust issues in Poland. She lives with her husband and 3 children near Philadelphia, where she teaches law.
Helaine stumbled forward, unable to see through the black void that surrounded her. She could feel the shoulders of the others jostling on either side. The smell of unwashed bodies rose, mingling with Helaine’s own. Her hand brushed against a rough wall, scraping her knuckles. Someone ahead tripped and yelped.
Hours earlier, when Helaine had been brought from her underground cell at the police station into the adjacent holding area, she was surprised to see other women waiting. She had not encountered anyone since her arrest. She had studied the women, who looked to be from all walks of life, trying to discern some commonality among their varied ages and classes that had caused them to be here. There was only one: they were Jews. The yellow star they wore, whether soiled and crudely sewn onto a worn, secondhand dress or pressed crisply against the latest Parisian finery, was identical—and it made them all the same.
They had stood in the bare holding area, not daring to speak. Helaine was certain that her arrest had been some sort of mis take. She had done nothing wrong. They had to free her. But even as she thought this, she knew that the old world of being a French citizen with rights was long gone.
An hour passed, then two. There was nowhere to sit, and a few people dropped to the floor. An elderly woman dozed against the wall, mouth agape. But for the slight rise and fall of her chest, she might have been dead. Hunger gnawed at Helaine and she wished that she still had the baked goods she purchased at the market just before she was taken. The meager breads, which had seemed so pathetic days earlier, now would have been a feast. But her belongings had been confiscated at arrest.
Helaine looked upward through the thin slit of window near the ceiling. They were still in Paris. The sour smell from the city street and the sounds of cars and footsteps despite the curfew were familiar, if not comforting. How long they would stay here, she did not know. Helaine was torn. She did not want to remain in this empty room forever. Yet she also dreaded leaving, for wherever they were going would surely be worse.
Finally, the door had opened. “Sortir!” a voice ordered them out in native French, reminding Helaine that the policemen, who had brought them here and who were keeping them captive, were not Germans, but their own people.
Helaine had filed into the dimly lit corridor with the others. They exited the police station and stepped outside onto the pavement. At the sight of the familiar buildings and the street leading away from the station, Helaine momentarily considered fleeing. She had no idea, though, where she would go. She imagined running to her childhood home, debated whether her estranged mother would take her in or turn her away. But the women were heavily guarded and there was no real possibility of escape. Instead, Helaine breathed the fresh air in great gulps, sensing that she might not be in the open again for quite some time.
The women were herded up a ramp toward an awaiting truck. Helaine recoiled. They were being placed in the back part of the vehicle where goods should have been carried, not people. Helaine wanted to protest but did not dare. Smells of stale grain and rotting meat, the truck’s previous cargo, assaulted her nose, mixing with her own stench in the warm air. It had been three days since she had bathed or changed and her dress was wrinkled and filthy, her once-luminous black curls dull and matted against her head.
When the women were all inside the truck, the back hatch shut with an ominous click. “Where are they taking us?” someone whispered. Silence. No one knew and they were all too afraid to venture a guess. They had heard the stories of the trains headed east to awful places from which no one ever returned. Helaine wondered how long the journey would be.
As they bumped along the Paris streets, Helaine’s bones, already sore from sleeping on the hard prison cell floor, cried out in pain. Her mouth was dry and her stomach empty. She wanted water and a meal, a hot bath. She wanted home.
If home was a place that even existed anymore. Helaine’s husband, Gabriel, was missing in Germany, his fate unknown. She had scarcely spoken with her parents since before the war. And Helaine herself had been taken without notice. Nobody knew that she had been arrested or had any idea where she had gone. It was as if she simply no longer existed.
To distract herself, Helaine tried to picture the route they were taking outside the windowless truck, down the boulevards she had just days earlier walked freely, past the cafés and shops. The familiar locations should have been some small comfort. But this might well be the last time she ever came this way, Helaine realized, and the thought only worsened her despair.
Several minutes later, the truck stopped with a screech. They were at a train station, Helaine guessed. The back hatch to the truck opened and the women peered out into pitch blackness. “Raus!” a voice commanded. That they were under the watch of Germans now seemed to confirm Helaine’s worst fears about where they were headed. “Schnell!” Someone let out a cry, a mix of the anguish and uncertainty they all felt.
The women clambered from the truck and Helaine stumbled, banging her knee and yelping. “Quiet,” a woman’s voice beside her cautioned fearfully. A hand reached out and helped her down the ramp with an unexpectedly gentle touch.
Outside the truck it was the tiniest bit lighter, and Helaine was just able to make out some sort of loading dock. The group moved forward into a large building.
Now Helaine found herself in complete darkness once more. This was how she had come to be in an unfamiliar building, shuffling forward blindly with a group of women she did not know, uncertain of where they were going or the fate that might befall them. She could see nothing, only feel the fear and confusion in the air around her. They seemed to be in some sort of corridor, pressed even more closely together than they had been. Helaine put her hand on the shoulder of the woman in front of her, trying hard not to fall again.
They were herded roughly through a doorway, into a room that was also unlit. No one moved or spoke. Helaine had heard rumors of mass executions, groups of people gassed or simply shot. The Germans might do that to them now. Her skin prickled. She thought of those she loved most, Gabriel and, despite everything that had happened, her parents. Helaine wanted their faces, not fear, to be her final thought.
Bright lights turned on suddenly, illuminating the space around them. “Mon Dieu!” someone behind her exclaimed softly. Helaine blinked her eyes, scarcely daring to believe what she saw. They were not in a camp or a prison at all. Instead, they were standing in the main showroom of what had once been one of the grandest department stores in Paris.
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 