20 Years Ago

An era ended ... but its one of the first things I remember. At the very young age of 5 I remember seeing the people coming over and through the Berlin Wall as it fell 20 years ago today. I didn't understand what it meant at the time or even where it was, but I remember watching the television, knowing that the people had been kept on their side for a long time and that they were ready to get out. Its one of my earliest memories of the world outside my home (I have earlier memories from childhood in my home) and rivals only with watching the Gulf War begin that same year (which I thought was happening in Arizona ... it was the only place where I knew a desert existed!).

Times have changed and honestly I'm not sure how many 5 year olds should really be watching these types of things, but I think it helped me begin to understand that there were people all over the world and that not everyone lived like I did - there were people hurting, in trouble, happy, sad, and of all races and sizes all around me. For that, I am thankful - not only that the wall came down 20 years ago today, but that it began to help me grasp a world that was bigger than me. I think its one of the many things that God has used in my life to develop a heart for people, the oppressed, and a passion to want to help others.