Renate 'Rita' W

I wouldn't be here if it weren't for her. Neither would my sisters, my nieces, nephews or my daughter. I guess my grandma is just as much a hero too because if it weren't for her, my mom wouldn't be here. Two very strong women making their way during a time that most of us can't even begin to comprehend. My grandma's most well-worn saying was "you just do." Because of their strength, both emotionally & physically & living that simple motto, the voyage to save their own lives provided us the freedom to live our own. My grandmother & her sisters grew up in a girl's home when her mother died & father remarried. Not all of them made it. She was a single mother of two & it is speculated that my mother's biological father became a Nazi. There were many things stacked against them but the alternative was not an option for them.
Though I wasn't even a twinkle in the eye that many years ago, deep inside my spirit lies the understanding that my life is so charmed, I have it so good, better than most & surely better than they had it. That feeling (and just a little 'Jewish guilt' ; ) keeps me humble & thankful that they had enough audacity to do what it took to decide their own fate & start running.

Submitted by Anonymous

Courage