I Will Plant You a Lilac Tree

Hello Everyone,

Above is the title of a new book I read. The author is Laura Hillman, and I know her personally. She is a dear friend and companion to my Grandpa Max. I got to visit her and spend time with her a few years ago. She is a very beautiful woman and very kind and gentle. Her picture is on the cover. She was so pretty.

She is one of the strongest people I know. She is a holocaust survivor and a Schindler Jew. I saw a copy of the list and I saw her name at the bottom. To see her name there on that list was a definite reminder that this all really happened.

She wouldn't really talk about her experiences with me, so I had to wait all these years to find out. She went through eight concentration camps, and witnessed so many horrible things.

And when I talked to her about my life and told her my little troubles, she was genuinely concerned and sympathetic. I remember telling her about my roommate problems, and she listened. She could have laughed at me and told me to grow up and suck it up. She lost her her whole family. I was bitching about my roommate. But she didn't, and I really admired that about her.

I remember her showing me a picture of her family on the wall. She told me that this all happened 60 years ago, but that it still hurts so much. These survivors really never get over it. You know, in the news you see survivors talking about their experiences or writing books. They talk about how they have moved on with their lives, and how they have learned that they must never hate. But it's important to remember that they still have to relive these experiences and that they never go away.

It has been a while since I talked to her. I think that she is on tour right now talking to school children. I miss her. I am gonna write her again.

Anyways, I better go home now. Ciao.