Special things...

Some special things that have happened to me so far...

Two different people have said to me..."I'll never forget what the Americans did for us."...this was said with true gratitude and tears in their eyes...

My host family from Wiesbaden said to me when I was sharing my family photos and photos from CA with her..."I can see that your family loves each other in these photos."

My host father from Wiesbaden said it was a "wonderful moment for him" when I thanked him in front of the Rotary Club presentation for hosting me. He said I was the only one who thanked their host family and he told me he was "a proud man at that moment".

We were given "hand turned" wooden boxes from a man in the Alsfeld Rotary Club for being their honored guests. Everyone here is so excited and honored to have us stay with them! Hey folks...I am the one who is honored!!!

Crossing the former border between West and East Germany and standing on what was once communist soil....I can't explain this feeling...I have heard first hand stories over the past couple of days that are immensely touching and stories I will never forget for as long as I live.

The Peace Bell project that the Alsfeld Rotary Club has with a club in the area that was the former East Germany...I met a man who was head of this project. The Alsfeld Rotary Club was helping to establish new Rotary Clubs and they found a whole bunch of old guns and ammunition and they melted it all down and made a Peace Bell out of it. When the day came to open the monument, they allowed the town pastor to ring the bell for the first time. A very, very big deal since the former East Germans did not have freedom of religion and Rotary does keep religion private from Rotary projects. Anyway, the pastor rang the bell for the first time and they said a prayer and the pastor explained that normally he would sprinkle holy water on the bell but it was hung too high to reach it with the water...and just then it started to rain. The pastor said to the crowd "someone else is sprinking holy water on all of us"...it was a beautiful story told to me by a man with tears in his eyes, rosy smiling cheeks and a long time history of pain in his heart...

There was a story of a man who died at the German border and the Americans could do nothing to help....they build a cross on the site of his death in his honor. When The Wall came down in 1989, this man showed up and said 'this is my story and I am fine. I am safe and I am a free man'.

This is a beautiful project that I am a part of and I am honored to be here....

Much love to all of my blog readers...I miss you, but I am having the time of my life...
xoxoxoxo