Faithful Friends

I have a troubled relationship in my life. I'm sure that many people have a similar one. It's someone I love very much, but they don't have a whole lot of use for me. I rarely hear from this person, except when it's for something they need from me. It's hard to have a relationship like that; I end up feeling hurt and used, and yet I love them too much to just walk away.

I was praying about this situation the other night, really pouring my heart out to the Lord about the pain in my heart, when I suddenly realized that lately I have been treating Him much the same. Sometimes my relationship with God slips from the good and healthy place it usually is, with regular pray and Bible study, daily praise and worship, to a place where the only time I talk to Him is to complain about my life and ask Him to fix it.

This was not a good revelation. I felt sick to my stomach as I recognized the similarities between how I had been treating God and how this person has been treating me. I'm working on fixing that, and I realized that just as it wasn't God who moved away from me, putting distance in our relationship, it wasn't me who moved away in the other one. All that I can do is refuse to walk away or give up, pray and hope that some day this person will realize how much I love them. In the meantime, I will work on strengthening my relationship with God, because I know that I will need His strength and wisdom to get me through.

Faithful Friends by Susan Bulanda tells the untold story of people and their pets during the Holocaust. While the German Nazis marched across Europe in their quest to eradicate the Jewish people, it wasn't just humans whose lives were damaged and destroyed. Bulanda tells the story of several people, most of whom were children at the time, who had beloved pets at the time. The stories of these completely innocent creatures deeply affected by the savagery of war puts into focus again the horror of this time in history. This is not an easy book to read, but it is a vital one. Many of the stories do not end happily. Some are shocking; I had to go back and read the final dialogue in the story of Blackie three times before the full horror hit me. The story told by Lya Galperin of her dogs reveals more of the devastation the people faced. Lya was taken from her parents through deception, as used as an unwilling blood donor, drained of blood until the Germans thought her dead. Her reunion with her beloved pet brought tears to my eyes, because this little girl truly needed a miracle from God after her torture. I do wish that Bulanda had flip-flopped the last two stories in the book, just to end it on a high note, but that's a small quibble with a story that will definitely get readers thinking and will help ensure that the Holocaust will never be forgotten.

Thank you to Cladach Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book for review! This book is free on the Kindle from March 15-19, so hurry and download your copy now!