Independent Woman Homeowner

Miep Gies Made A Difference for Over 100 Years!

For 25 months Miep Gies protected and provided for the Frank family during the occupation in Amsterdam. It is a well chronicled story in the Diary of Anne Frank. When asked throughout her lifetime how she had the courage to help the Frank family, she has famously said:

"Yes, of course it takes courage to do one's duty as a human being. Of course one has to be prepared to make certain sacrifices, but that's true in many of life's situations".

This amazing woman passed away on January 12, 2010 just short of her 101st birthday in February. During the holidays this year, we took our friends and our nine year old son to the Anne Frank Huis in Amsterdam, and again marveled at the close quarters this family stayed in during their 25 month hiding period. During the day the family was confined to the living quarters, and were unable to use the running water  because of the risk of being heard by the workers in the Pectin factory. When the Nazi soldiers found out about the Frank family (reportedly from a disgruntled employee who suspected something fishy), Miep Gies had the foresight to hide Anne's diary and other papers. According to Miep's statements in the Anne Frank Huis Museum, she never once read the diary during the time she had it in her posession. Acknowledging that even a 12 year old's privacy should be honored and respected. Later she admitted that it was a good thing, because she concedes had she read the diary she would have destroyed it since it implicated her for helping the Frank family and the Nazi's would have arrested her if they had ever seen this in writing.

If you haven't recently read The Diary of Anne Frank, I suggest you revisit the inner strength that this young girl found through her writing. In addition the book Anne Frank, the biography by Melissa Muller tells the story of how the German Frank family ended up in Amsterdam, and how Miep Gies came to be their protector. Both of these books tell a story of a different time, and for those of us who have never lived in an occupied country, the tale of how it feels to have your basic rights and livelihood taken away. Making a difference in the lives of two families she helped protect and feed for 25 months and yet never believing she did anything out of the ordinary. May the name of Miep Gies be honored and remembered as one of the more selfless human beings in history