Shalom

Today in history class we had a Holocaust survivor come speak to us. He's a really sweet and funny man. I am lucky for a person of my age, that I've had a chance to hear two survivors speak. Mr. Al Wiener story seems particularly hard as he survived not only one camp, but four slave labor camps and a conscentration camp! He was fifteen when all this began and was librated at 18, three years completely lost. Also since he was a young man, he had a more developed memory than a child might have of such a situation. He seems to have an extrodinary amount of hope. Now that I'm older myself I can better process that type of information, and yet it's just so much, so much pain and inhumanity, that it's staggering, how in the world? He had a book for sale, unfortunately I have only a fiver in my pocket so I wasn't able to purchase a copy. It's strange how such a sad, terrible sorry can be so uplifting. I don't know whether I want to cheer or cry, it feels weird. He talked about how his survival has made him thankful of everyday and how he appreciates all  the things around him. I don't want to compare myself to what he has been through, certainly not, I've had a lovely peaceful life. However, not on such a big scale, I can understand how he feels. Having nearly died as a baby and living with the fact that I really shouldn't be here, at least definately not in as good a shape as I am, has made me really really appreciate life. I can, on the modest level, of my own understand his want to keep on living. Hearing his words has made me feel good. It echoes my own happiness to be alive and with the people I love. He lost so many of his family to me I think that would be the hardest thing to bear. He found his brother in a camp after he was taken away a year earlier, but then they were parted and never saw one another again. I can't imagine... I really  love my family and friends so much it's terrible to even think about.

I feel badly, I have two major stories I'm writing and in these stories some awful things happen to the characters. Warfare, slavery, presecution, I suppose it's not surprizing as most of my inspiration comes from history. Excuses aside though, I have wondered before and now after a presentation like Mr. Wiener's, what right I have to write about such horrible things? I who have had such a happy peaceful life filled with love, to the point where I don't know if I can even fully comprehend such pains. I try my utmost to be respectful of such things and show the consequences of them, yet I still wonder. I feel it's important to write my stories, even though they are just humble fiction, I just hope I'm not doing a bad thing. Any opinions on this would be very much appreciated

Love to friends and loved ones, holds you tight.

Hayley  ^_^