I have hit the jackpot lately with meaningful posts that have been sent to me.  I have another one to share that really touched my heart.  I am a student of the Holocaust and I found these words to be just as true and important in our lives today as they were 75 years ago.  This incident happened at a market in New Jersey.

At the supermarket today, I found a small, elderly woman standing in front of a high shelf holding Bonne Maman preserves.  She was having trouble finding the flavor she wanted because the jars were set back on the shelf.  She couldn’t read the labels.  She could barely reach them.  I offered to help.

After handing her the raspberry preserves, she thanked me, paused, and then asked, “Do you know why I buy this brand?” 

I laughed and replied, “Because it tastes good?” 

“Yes, it tastes good.”  She paused again.  “I am a Holocaust survivor.”

This was not the conversation I expected on a Sunday grocery run.  “During the war, the family that owns the company hid my family in Paris. So now I always buy it. And whenever I go to the store, my grandkids remind me, ‘Bubba, don’t forget to buy the jelly.’” I told her that was the best reason I ever heard to buy any company’s product.  And then we both smiled behind our masks and went our separate ways.

Someone else on Twitter looked into the story.  Indeed the town that Andros Company, the makers of Bonne Maman, comes from, hid and saved Jewish families in WW2.  It was called Biars sur Cere, which had about 800 villagers.

The article stated,  “You have to understand what it was like then. There were posters on every wall from the Nazis and from the collaborators and they said if you are found to help a Jew,  a freemason, a communist, a socialist, or a pervert, you will be shot on sight.”  Despite the great danger in which helping them put the villagers in, still they kept the children safe.

A good reason to buy Bonne Maman products.  And a poignant reminder that when we look out for each other it can change lives, and there are and have always been good and selfless people in the world.

I don’t intend this to be an advertisement to buy the Bonne Maman jelly, but I thought the message was important as many people face challenges beyond their control in today’s world. It is through God’s unconditional love that is demonstrated to us every day, in every way, we learn to help others in need.  After all, God send his son Jesus to offer us the greatest gift our lives will ever need.  In one short week, we will celebrate that wonderful gift once again on Easter Sunday.  We can be a blessing to others as Jesus has always been to us!

Patty