Miep Gies, my penpal since 1994...

Today I received my dreaded farewell letter from Miep Gies.

It reads: "Dearest Becky, I very much appreciated the preview regarding your book. I just want to confirm I did receive it. At the same time I reiterate my decision to stop corresponding. It has become too tiring. I sincerely thank you for years of friendship and warm contact. A heartfelt "Farewell," also from Cor (Suijk), to both you and your partner! Love, Miep Gies."

For those of you who do not know who Miep Gies is, she was the young secretary of Mr. Otto Frank, the father of Anne Frank. Miep also helped them to hide for two years and also found Anne's diary after they were betrayed and taken prisoner by the Gestapo. She saved the diary to give it back to Mr. Frank when he returned after the war ended, and he published it in 1947. It is now the most read book, only second to the Bible, in the world. Without Miep Gies, there would BE no Diary of Anne Frank.

I met her in 1994 at the University of Michigan, she was awarded the Medal of Bravery for what she did for the Frank family, and the Van Pels' family also. I heard someone say they were having a "meet and greet" upstairs, so I ran with my Anne Frank books in a bag on my shoulder, and jumped into the elevator. I snuck upstairs to a place I didn't belong, just to stand in awe and watch Miep talking with people. She announced that she would be signing books and then took a chair in the middle of the room. I immediately got in line, and waited my turn to say hello to her.

As I knelt down to have her sign all of my books, (which she did without complaint), I told her that I would like to write about HER life story, because not many people know about HER life, and would she allow me to do that? She nodded, smiled, and gave me her home address, telling me to send her letters with questions, and that she would help me to do that. I cried all the way home, feeling as though I just met an angel on earth. I love her more than any other person on this planet, she means the world to me. From that day on, we've been pen-pals, and have had many years of enjoyment.

Today though, I am saddened by her decision to stop corresponding. I do understand though. I mean, this woman had a stroke in her 90's, but yet she continued to send me letters!! I was amazed, and I had expected her to stop writing then, but she didn't. Now that she is 100 years old, I must realize that this is an end to the wonderful 1990's era in which I lived, when all my closest friends were Holocaust Survivors, including Miep Gies and Cornelius Suijk, Mr. Frank's longtime friend and owner of the last five pages of Anne Frank's diary. (I have photos of me talking with Miep, and of me shaking hands with Cor, and I had breakfast with him and the film screenwriter of the new Anne Frank film, as well as two of Anne's childhood friends at their hotel in DC).

Without Miep Gies and Cor Suijk, I would never have attempted to apply for a job at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Without them, I would never have been able to finance my web site for kids, www.Tolerance4Kids.com. Without them, I would never have been able to accomplish this book I'm working on either. They have meant so much to me over the years, calling me on the phone, writing dozens of letters, laughing with me, sharing in my sadness when I left the Museum, etc., so they are like a part of my family, and I cherish them both more than anything in this world.

Her son, Paul, created a new web site to help her with future correspondence. The link is: www.miepgies.nl. I wrote a message to her on this web site today, in response to her letter:

Dearest Miep, I received your farewell letter today confirming that you received my book. I am so glad you received it and I hope that you enjoyed reading it. While I am saddened by your decision to stop writing letters, I do understand and I want to tell you that Pete and I are planning a wedding next July 18th. I am very happy! I will always cherish our many years of correspondence and friendship, and I will always love you and Cor both very much. You have enriched my life, my heart, and my soul. Be well, and please tell your son Paul that this web site is very well done. Thank you! Love, hugs and Yours with unending admiration, Rebecca Gray So now I feel sad, and I have tears in my eyes as I write this, but I know it is for the best, and for her health. I just want to share all of this with everyone, and please go check out her web site. It's very well done and informative. The entire story of her life is there, she's an incredible person that I will love forever. Love, Becky