Good morning…
“I thoroughly enjoyed last week’s post about the power of perspective,” one subscriber wrote. “It resonated with me and my family history. My parents were born in the United States but my grandparents were born in Japan. My grandparents immigrated to the United States when they were teenagers looking for a better life. My parents lived in California and were typical teenagers, my mother a graduate of high school and my father a sophomore in college. Then December 7, 1941 happened. Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. With that one tragic event, my grandparents and their entire family (40 years residents in California) had to sell everything they owned (except what they could carry in two suitcases) in one week (home, dishes, furniture, etc.) and were taken to the middle of the desert to be put in internment camps for three years. This impacted 150,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans on the west coast of the United States.”
She went on to explain: “However, my parents did not wallow in the injustice of this government issued decree. They found a way to not only to survive but thrive. They met in camp, my dad after one year was taken out of camp to write a book with a Harvard professor about the camps, and got my mother and her brothers jobs on the East Coast. My dad went to Harvard (even though he did not have an undergraduate degree) and got his Master’s and PhD. They had four children and never told their children of the internment. They wanted to raise their children without bitterness or hate, but a love of God and our dependence on Him.”
She concluded: “I learned about the interment camps in a history class in high school. (They always told me they met in camp and I assumed it was a Boy Scout and Girl Scout camp!) All this long text to say, my parents taught me life is difficult on earth. It is my responsibility to live in Love, Faith, and Trust in God. It is NOT easy, it will never be. However, our attitude is everything and we must teach our children this simple truth. We are not in control. But we can be in charge of our attitude. Trust, faith, love.”
“Wow,” I replied. “This is a powerful testament to the resilience of God in the lives of ordinary people. Incredible. I love your line about thinking it was “a Boy Scout and Girl Scout camp!” That is so much our perspective and our kids’ perspective on camps. If the Spirit moves, would you mind if I shared your story anonymously with our subscribers? Our attitude makes every ounce of difference, and you were raised by some powerfully positive people.”
“Yes,” she replied, “and when parents are positive, you become positive, and hopefully you pass that positivity to your children. That is the hope. And you may anonymously share. I was very blessed that God gave me my parents. They made strong lemonade out of their lemons! ‘Always do your best no matter the circumstances,’ they used to say, ‘especially when life feels extremely hard.'”
Serving good lemonade doesn’t mean life will be easy. But you…must always be watching. Be patient in your troubles. Tell the good news. Do all the work God has given you to do (2 Timothy 4:5, WE).
…Sue…
P.S. Thank you Corinne Adams for sharing this photo of beauty formed from fallen leaves.
