I just finished reading the memoir "The Hare With Amber Eyes" by Edmund De Waal. De Waal comes from a Jewish family who originally came from Russia. They went on to become financial powerhouses in Paris and Vienna. During WW II, they lost their homes, their possessions and their financial standing because they were Jews. A few papers, books and a very special collection of Japanese netsuke, intricate toggles once used to close pouches or belts, were all that survived. The book takes its title from an especially beautiful netsuke, the hare with the amber eyes.
The Gestapo emptied the family home of its possessions and people and set up shop in the Ephrussi family home. Anna, the Gentile maid, stayed with the house and continued cleaning and doing chores. The netsuke sat observing, ignored and silent in a corner glass cabinet. The cabinet was in a tiny room that used to be Madam Ephrussi's dressing room. The children of the house would sit on the rug and play with the carvings while Anna helped the lady of the house get ready for the day. Years later, during the German residence, Anna would put one netsuke in her pocket every day while dusting. At the end of each day, she hid the figurines in her mattress. She did this until she had hidden away all 264 pieces. When Anna dusted and secreted away the tiny figures, she prayed a tangible prayer: She would see the Ephrussi family again and she would give them these treasures back.
Eight years after leaving Austria, Elisabeth, a Ephrussi daughter returned and Anna gave her the netsuke. The intricate, tiny carvings that had once filled an elegant, velvet- lined cabinet were lovingly placed in a brief case and carried back to England, the new Ephrussi home.
When the author found out about Anna's kindness and bravery, all the people who had known her had passed away. The questions he wanted to know would remain unanswered; he couldn't even find out Anna's last name.
Anna's compassion illustrates the nature of kindness. Kindness is not measured by monetary standards or grandeur. In Anna's case, a daily act of bravery added up to a kindness that transcends generations. His Holiness the Dahli Lama, Mother Teresa and Jesus have all stressed the importance, and the power, of compassion and love. Each of us, no matter our circumstances, has the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. The form of this help may be very subtle. You may simply sit and listen to someone without comment or judgement, providing them a haven. You may let someone with less items go ahead of you at the grocery store. You may hold a baby for a weary mother so she can answer nature's call. The possibilities are infinite. You may not be privy to the consequences of your acts of kindness, yet you are called to do them. Kindness, unlike many other things, does not have a scale. Kindness is pure and it IS powerful.
The Gestapo emptied the family home of its possessions and people and set up shop in the Ephrussi family home. Anna, the Gentile maid, stayed with the house and continued cleaning and doing chores. The netsuke sat observing, ignored and silent in a corner glass cabinet. The cabinet was in a tiny room that used to be Madam Ephrussi's dressing room. The children of the house would sit on the rug and play with the carvings while Anna helped the lady of the house get ready for the day. Years later, during the German residence, Anna would put one netsuke in her pocket every day while dusting. At the end of each day, she hid the figurines in her mattress. She did this until she had hidden away all 264 pieces. When Anna dusted and secreted away the tiny figures, she prayed a tangible prayer: She would see the Ephrussi family again and she would give them these treasures back.
Eight years after leaving Austria, Elisabeth, a Ephrussi daughter returned and Anna gave her the netsuke. The intricate, tiny carvings that had once filled an elegant, velvet- lined cabinet were lovingly placed in a brief case and carried back to England, the new Ephrussi home.
When the author found out about Anna's kindness and bravery, all the people who had known her had passed away. The questions he wanted to know would remain unanswered; he couldn't even find out Anna's last name.
Anna's compassion illustrates the nature of kindness. Kindness is not measured by monetary standards or grandeur. In Anna's case, a daily act of bravery added up to a kindness that transcends generations. His Holiness the Dahli Lama, Mother Teresa and Jesus have all stressed the importance, and the power, of compassion and love. Each of us, no matter our circumstances, has the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. The form of this help may be very subtle. You may simply sit and listen to someone without comment or judgement, providing them a haven. You may let someone with less items go ahead of you at the grocery store. You may hold a baby for a weary mother so she can answer nature's call. The possibilities are infinite. You may not be privy to the consequences of your acts of kindness, yet you are called to do them. Kindness, unlike many other things, does not have a scale. Kindness is pure and it IS powerful.
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