Monday, February 24, 2014

Choose to be Optimistic

Hello everyone!  A very warm welcome to you all!  The video I have chosen for this post is the clip of an interview that was done two years ago with the then 108 year old Alice Herz-Sommer.  The title of this clip is actually the title of today's post!  "Choose to be Optimistic."

For those of you who may already be aware, Alice Herz-Sommer died yesterday at the amazing age of 110.  I find her to be a lovely lady, full of love and kindness, and very optimistic.  Just a little background on this lady for those who may not know.  Alice Herz-Sommer was one of the fewer than 10,000 survivors of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp of WWII, along with her son.  

I was deeply moved by this video and listening to this beautiful lady talk about her life and how she chose to be optimistic in spite of all the struggles she suffered.  For those of you who wish to learn a little more about this lady, here is a link.  Alice Herz-Sommer

My father was a prisoner of war in WWII and, even though he never spoke to either my mother or I about what he endured, I know that he suffered much.  Nonetheless, he managed to forgive his captors and remain positive.  This post is meant to be encouraging and I hope that you will all see this and be touched by it in some way!

The photo I am sharing today is one that I took last summer. I loved the different colours here!  You just need to click on the image to see a larger view.

Thank you all so much for visiting me here!  I always appreciate and enjoy reading your kind thoughts, which you are always welcome to share.

35 comments:

  1. Wow this is so incredibly inspiring!! We can learn so much from people like Ms. Herz-Sommer and people like your father. Thank you for sharing, Linda.

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  2. Wow. That is what you have to do is choose to. Love the flowers.

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  3. Beautiful flowers!

    Your dad must have been a pretty special guy to be able to forgive his captors.

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  4. Anonymous7:44 PM

    Thank you for this wonderful post !
    I love it ღ !!!!
    ❀ ✿ ❁ Beautiful flowers ❀ ✿ ❁

    Have a nice day dear Linda !!!
    Greetings !!!

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  5. I read of her passing in the morning papers. Fewer and fewer survivors of that horrendous evil still around. What an extraordinary human being.

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  6. One truly remarkable, unforgettable lady, her piano talents saved her and her son's lives, she speaks no ill, and is so gentle in all her ways, Bright flowers so suit your blog today. Fond greetings, Jean.

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  7. She was a wonderful lady! Thank you for sharing Linda and also telling us what your father went through. HUGS!!

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  8. Beautiful photo. Yes, I too try to be optimistic as much as possible. It makes life much easier and I find people who are optimists are much more pleasant to be around.

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  9. The interview was most interesting, especially in light of this woman's history. The interviewer didn't sound quite convinced that one could choose to look on the bright side, though. The photo is lovely, and for the very reason you mentioned: the beautiful colors.

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  10. it's fortunate she got to live a long life after that. Imagine being a survivor of one of (if not the) worst tragedies in human history and only living a few years afterwards.

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  11. ...oui...j'ai entendu cette nouvelle à la télé....toute une vie pour cette dame...âge très honorable...!

    have a good day.....

    ly xxx

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  12. Amazing.....people are truly amazing!!

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  13. I just read an article about her today and was so impressed with the life she lived after going through such horrible experiences. Thank you for sharing this and reminding us of the importance of being optimistic, of carrying on.

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    Replies
    1. mary omeara1:57 AM

      truly amazing and such an inspirational lady thanxs for sharing linda x

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  14. mary omeara1:45 AM

    thanxs for this truly amazing video what an inspirational and brave lady my dad was also a prisoner of war got caught at Dunkirk and spent almost 6 years in stalag had very bad nightmares all his life but never spoke about his sufferings like your dad

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  15. Hyvä artikkeli Hän oli hämmästyttävä ihminen kesti kaikki vaikean elämän.
    Me ihmiset kaikki pitäisi ottaa oppia hänestä.
    Kiitos Linda jakamisesta meille :)

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  16. Wow - what an inspiration! She lived a long and happy life, despite the horrors she experienced. I'm amazed at the human spirit sometimes. Thanks for the video, sometimes we need things like this to shake us up and get a better perspective. :)

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  17. A very optimistic woman enjoying life, despite the bad old times in the past.
    Pretty flowers.

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  18. the stories of the people who survived the atrocities of WWII are inspirational. thank you for sharing this!

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  19. Anonymous5:24 AM

    Indeed a touching video Linda, terrible what happened in Auschwitz.

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  20. Sin duda una actitud optimista ante la vida puede colaborar a que vivamos más tiempo y, en todo caso, a que vivamos mejor. Un abrazo,

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  21. May she RIP. What a lovely optimistic women.
    From what I have been told not many soldiers told of their troubles during the war.

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  22. I had not heard that she had passed away, I have seen her interviewed several times, she was a fascinating inspirational woman.

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  23. Thank you for the link and clip. I've read several articles about her recently. Stay warm, spring is coming.

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  24. Hi Linda! I did hear about the death of this gracious lady on the news last night. Isn't it amazing what people carry through their lives? And how we can be so cruel to each other. Your Dad and Alice know this first hand, but never turned to spite or hate. What a movement of God's grace!

    Again, I love to see those flowers. It's just too cold here again today!
    Happy Tuesday :)
    Ceil

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  25. C'est un très beau message l'optimisme, on en a besoin pour apprécier les bonheurs de la vie, et combattre les difficultés rencontrées.
    La photo est très belle.
    merci Linda

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  26. je l'ai appris dans le journal..

    une dame qui mérite le respect de tout le monde

    have a nice day

    ps: it is a pity that sometimes the submit button does not work

    thank you anyway

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  27. What an inspiration she is. A wonderful lady. I agree that we choose to be happy and optimistic.
    Your father sounds to be quite a man himself. Thanks for sharing.

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  28. Always a treat to hear the words of those who have lived so long. Thanks for sharing Alice Herz-Sommer with us.

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  29. Nice homage, Linda.
    Lie(f)s.

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  30. Such a wonderful and optimistic women
    Greetings

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  31. Un beau billet, merci! Bisous tout doux et bonne journée!

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  32. What a wonderful lady, I have been reading lots about her, someone truly to inspire and learn from, thanks for sharing this Linda :-)

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  33. I really enjoyed listening to this video...I believe it is also choice...I will have to follow up on her. Thanks for sharing.

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