A Little Tribute... Happy Birthday Anne Frank!

(It was Anne's Birthday on June 12th - Happy Birthday Anne!)

“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!”

This quote is from a young girl who wanted to be a writer.  On her 13^th birthday, she was given a diary.  A diary that changed the whole world.  She never knew her full potential.

“The nicest part is being able to write down all my thoughts and feelings, otherwise I‘d absolutely suffocate.”

 I was the same age as Anne when I discovered The Diary of Anne Frank.  I often wondered what it could have been like to live in such crowded circumstances, constantly worrying about noise, fighting boredom, trying to live normally in abnormal conditions, and fear of being discovered.  

“It's not just my imagination — looking at the sky, the clouds, the moon and the stars really does make me feel calm and hopeful. It's much better medicine than valerian or bromide. Nature makes me feel humble and ready to face every blow with courage!”

Imagine only being able to see a tree from a window, not being able to leave for two years.

all photos courtesy of annefrank.org

“The two of us looked out at the blue sky, the bare chestnut tree glistening with dew, the seagulls and other birds glinting with silver as they swooped through the air, and we were so moved and entranced that we couldn’t speak.”

Now there is a way to experience the history of Anne Frank.  The website has 3-D interactive features for you to tour The Secret Annex where Anne and her family hid for two years.  See the photographs of Anne and her family, the Van Pels and Herr Pfeffer who hid with them, and the five people who risked their lives to help others.  There is also film of Otto Frank (Anne’s father) and Miep Gies (who helped hide the Franks) as they tell their stories.  This is priceless footage of real stories.  The whole website and links are a great resource for teaching about the lives affected in World War II.

You won’t be the same after learning more of Anne’s story.  I’m using this for a family night where I will share this with my kids.  Afterwards, we’ll spend some time writing down a list of everything for which we are grateful.  At the end I will give the kids diaries to keep and encourage them to write at least once a week.