March 7, 2011- Reading Adventures...

     It’s been a couple of weeks, but I finally had the chance today to pick up a very fascinating book that I’ve been trying to finish since we arrived back from Vancouver. It’s titled Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, and it’s the heart wrenching and beautiful story of Louie Zamperini, a Veteran of World War II and a survivor of not only the crash of the B-24 plane he was working aboard that sent him on a 47 day journey across the Pacific on a life raft dodging shark attacks and practically starving to death, but he also miraculously survived several years in more than one horrific Japanese POW camp. His story is truly amazing. As I was reading it, I remember hearing his name previously. He was actually held by the Japanese here on Kwajalein before they moved him to the POW camps in Japan. And if I’m not mistaken, he actually visited the atoll since I’ve lived here sometime in the last 14 years. I wish I had known or even had the faintest understanding of how special it would have been to meet this man in person. 
     I can’t imagine going through what so many American soldiers have gone through fighting for their country, then and now. At times, I had to just set the book down because the inhuman treatment of the men in the POW camps by the Japanese was too much for me to bear. I don’t know how they did it, how they survived any of it. I believe there are definitely people who are born with the ability to handle certain things that others never could. It’s obvious in my profession as well; some people are just naturally good with children and others just aren’t. It’s not in them.

     If we have the opportunity, we must choose carefully what we do with our lives, to ensure we fulfill our potential. Sometimes we are thrown into the story and purpose of our lives like Louie Zamperini. I’m sure he would have never chosen to go through what he did, but his story inspires others; it’s a ministry to others. Sometimes we have the blessing to figure out that purpose by simply moving in the direction of doing what we love most, but either way, life is not as extraordinary without that purpose. We could be living out our purpose and not even know it, so that’s why it is important to seek God’s wisdom, to look deep within ourselves to discover what it is that we can do and become with the experiences and genetics we’ve been given. Our stories may not be as dramatic or as fantastic as a WWII veteran who has survived what most others never could, but it’s still important. It still means something to someone and especially to God. Living our lives with purpose is the only way to live in my opinion!