Read Online Yesterday, Today, and Forever by Maria Von Trapp - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Maria Von Trapp
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said Hester finally.
“Oh, excuse me,” I replied. “I couldn’t help thinking of the time when our family felt some of this ‘exceeding great joy.’ That was when in our life the star reappeared, too.”
Hester looked at me, and it was bright enough to see the questioning expression on her face, although she didn’t say anything. So I explained. “One day in our life as a family we saw a great big light just as the kings saw the star. It was the time when we saw clearly that we had to give up our material goods in order to save the spiritual ones; and as an entire family — father, mother, and nine children — leave our native Austria and become voluntary refugees. The few friends and relatives who heard about this were aghast and very much against it. When we finally, after many adventures, reached our Jerusalem, namely New York City, thinking now we had reached the goal, it looked all of a sudden like a complete failure. The star was gone. In our hearts resounded the words of our well-meaning friends about Hitler’s promise of a thousand years of peace and the brilliant future our children could have had in his Third Reich — and there we were in America and nobody seemed to want us. It was a very dark hour. The war with Germany had not yet broken out. People urged us to go back; we could never be a success in this country. I shall never forget that particular hour. We were in the Hotel Wellington, my husband and I. It was past midnight and a gentleman had just left who for hours had tried to persuade us to go home on the next boat. When the door had closed behind him, I looked at my husband. We were both tired and very much discouraged. We had just enough money left to pay for our hotel, and there didn’t seem to be any future.
“Then Georg said, ‘We were so deeply convinced when we left Salzburg that this was the will of God, and when one day we came through Cologne and knelt at the shrine of the three holy kings, we made them our patron saints for the time of our wanderings. Then we promised God to imitate them and persevere even if we couldn’t see the star. I think this is the time now.’
“Still very tired, but not desperate any more, we went to bed. And then it all happened fast. We found the manager who understood us and in whose hands we felt safe as artists as well as people. ‘And lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.’
“You see,” I concluded my little digression, “the Gospel is still going on in our very own days, and if we only would let Him, our Lord would re-live His life in each one of our lives all over again. Don’t you know from your own past the times when the star has seemingly vanished, and don’t you know this ‘exceeding great joy’ when it appears again?”
“I think I know what you mean,” said Hester, and she seemed to know what she was talking about. “And?” she added, which made me conscious that I hadn’t finished my story of the three holy kings yet.
It must have been rather late by now, because, in the house below, one after another of the lighted windows was darkened. “Let’s not look at the watch, but let’s finish,” I resolved.
When they had passed through the city gate, they had to go directly south for five miles. This is something for our imagination to dwell on: the long caravan, really three caravans merged in one, the many camels with their bells, the swift horses, the stately elephants — for each king had come on the animals of his country — and a big star traveling above them in the air, enveloping them all in a soft light. How they must all have looked up to the star gliding along before them and thanked God from the depths of their hearts. After five miles the road turned sharply to the left, and there they saw Bethlehem, the little town perched on the hillside — like Assisi —
“Oh, excuse me,” I replied. “I couldn’t help thinking of the time when our family felt some of this ‘exceeding great joy.’ That was when in our life the star reappeared, too.”
Hester looked at me, and it was bright enough to see the questioning expression on her face, although she didn’t say anything. So I explained. “One day in our life as a family we saw a great big light just as the kings saw the star. It was the time when we saw clearly that we had to give up our material goods in order to save the spiritual ones; and as an entire family — father, mother, and nine children — leave our native Austria and become voluntary refugees. The few friends and relatives who heard about this were aghast and very much against it. When we finally, after many adventures, reached our Jerusalem, namely New York City, thinking now we had reached the goal, it looked all of a sudden like a complete failure. The star was gone. In our hearts resounded the words of our well-meaning friends about Hitler’s promise of a thousand years of peace and the brilliant future our children could have had in his Third Reich — and there we were in America and nobody seemed to want us. It was a very dark hour. The war with Germany had not yet broken out. People urged us to go back; we could never be a success in this country. I shall never forget that particular hour. We were in the Hotel Wellington, my husband and I. It was past midnight and a gentleman had just left who for hours had tried to persuade us to go home on the next boat. When the door had closed behind him, I looked at my husband. We were both tired and very much discouraged. We had just enough money left to pay for our hotel, and there didn’t seem to be any future.
“Then Georg said, ‘We were so deeply convinced when we left Salzburg that this was the will of God, and when one day we came through Cologne and knelt at the shrine of the three holy kings, we made them our patron saints for the time of our wanderings. Then we promised God to imitate them and persevere even if we couldn’t see the star. I think this is the time now.’
“Still very tired, but not desperate any more, we went to bed. And then it all happened fast. We found the manager who understood us and in whose hands we felt safe as artists as well as people. ‘And lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.’
“You see,” I concluded my little digression, “the Gospel is still going on in our very own days, and if we only would let Him, our Lord would re-live His life in each one of our lives all over again. Don’t you know from your own past the times when the star has seemingly vanished, and don’t you know this ‘exceeding great joy’ when it appears again?”
“I think I know what you mean,” said Hester, and she seemed to know what she was talking about. “And?” she added, which made me conscious that I hadn’t finished my story of the three holy kings yet.
It must have been rather late by now, because, in the house below, one after another of the lighted windows was darkened. “Let’s not look at the watch, but let’s finish,” I resolved.
When they had passed through the city gate, they had to go directly south for five miles. This is something for our imagination to dwell on: the long caravan, really three caravans merged in one, the many camels with their bells, the swift horses, the stately elephants — for each king had come on the animals of his country — and a big star traveling above them in the air, enveloping them all in a soft light. How they must all have looked up to the star gliding along before them and thanked God from the depths of their hearts. After five miles the road turned sharply to the left, and there they saw Bethlehem, the little town perched on the hillside — like Assisi —
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