Mandy
Age 82
Originally from the Netherlands, Mandy immigrated to Canada in 1959 with her sister and later on to the United States. She considers herself a Canadian; yet, she is grateful to the United States Veterans for saving her life during WWII. Full of vigor and rich thoughts she graciously shared with us.
“Life deals you a card and you have to take it. I learned that years ago. It always seems that as things come at you, you find a way to deal with it. Every time I think, ‘I wished this hadn’t happened’, I always find out later on that there was a reason for it. A lot of people don’t even notice that. Sometimes you’re glad that it happened, and well…(as she gestures upward) ‘You could of spared me from that’, I’ve had that very often.
“I think about life a little bit differently than most people. As you get older, you learn to accept it… You know, when things come at you, you don’t fight it anymore.
“Being religious is alright, but don’t think you know it all.
“People seem to have no interest in happenings that did not or do not effect them. They turn a blind eye, not wanting to know about critical events. Even some elderly are incredible ignorant of WWII and the Holocaust. It’s hard to believe. I’m afraid America has had it good for too long. People close their eyes and feel like nobody can touch them. Surprisingly most don’t want to talk about politics or religion. So, then, what are we going to talk about!? What are we going to talk about with rich meaning? If we can’t talk about significant matters, past or present, how can we grow from our experiences? There is nothing insignificant that occurs in our lives.”
Relevant Quotes
Sayings that get your mind moving...
If you are not a better person tomorrow than you are today, what need have you for a tomorrow?
There are no problems, only opportunities for growth.
G-d and the World: G-d and the world are not opposite poles. There is darkness in the world, but there is also this call, “let there be light!”. Nor are body and soul at loggerheads. We are not told to decide “either-or,” either G-d or the world, either this world or the world to come. We are told to accept either and or, G-d and the world. It is upon us to strive for a share in the world to come, as well as to let G-d have a share in this world.
Discarding the Void: Life is true, every step of it is G-dly. Only the emptiness is false. There are things we regret. Things we want to tear out of our memory, rip out of our hearts with remorse and agony. But in the end, the thing we reject never was. From its birth it was not a thing, but an absence - that G-d was not there. Once that void is washed away with tears, there remains only a crystal jewel rescued from the deep earth.
Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.