Everyone Has the Right To Blossom

“And the sun was shining as it’s never shone before in 1944. Our chestnut tree is in full bloom. It’s covered with leaves and is even more beautiful than last year.”
Anne Frank , Diary of a Young Girl

ANNE HAD NO TIME TO BLOSSOM…
Anne Frank died aged 15 after hiding from her persecutors for 2 years in a secret attic, where this beautiful chestnut tree was her only link with nature. “ As long as this exists, this sunshine and this cloudless sky and as long as I can enjoy it how can I be sad.”

In her all too short life, she realised how hatred of others because of racial differences was the root of so much needless destruction. Alas, Anne was never given time to blossom because she was Jewish, and still to this day in the world we are confronted by so many children not given time to blossom because of intolerance and violent hatred.

I was invited to The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam in 2009. That first windy morning we were ushered through the small, dark, bleak hideout where Anne Frank had hidden with her family. We had seen the sterile white and grey corridor filled with photos of the concentration camp and video footage of a woman throwing a parcel over the wall to Anne – the last time she had heard from her.

I cried when I left. My tears were of anger, frustration and sadness for Anne and her family.

Then there was the tree.

I had glimpsed it, as Anne once did, from the attic window. Standing bare in the courtyard behind 263 Prinsengracht. I was allowed into the garden next to the one where this magnificent 150 year old tree stood. I tried to imagine Anne looking out of the window at it, but to my despair was then told she could not look – to be seen was just too risky. An occasional peep at night-time was probably all she would be allowed.

Outside, I was overwhelmed by the number of people queuing; the constant flow of people honouring this amazing young girl. It is as if, even with the horror of what happened, the struggle to survive and the eventual inevitability of Anne and her family’s death, the house serves to remind the whole world of this piece of human history.

Being female and Jewish, I identify with Anne. I had the privilege of being brought up in a middle- class home in north London, but at school I remember being called a “stinking Jew”. I was only 4ft 9”, but I stood up for myself. However, to me, Anne Frank’s story – and everything the tree symbolises is not just about being Jewish. The world is sadly still full of racism, intolerance, hatred and anger. For those, like me, who believe in love, spirituality and the prospect of a better world, the tree symbolises HOPE. And for the sake of our children, HOPE must never be allowed to die.

In her diary Anne wrote these words… “I firmly believe that nature can bring comfort to all that suffer”
I hope that gazing even occasionally at the top of this one would have given her some solace and comfort.

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOSSOM…

We need to be positive in this world and to be kind to everyone. PLEASE think carefully before judging someone, why not show understanding and love instead of anger and hate. Make this world a better place for us all and for our children’s children. Give thought and warmth to how you act towards others and I believe that being AWARE we will all hug the world and BLOSSOM together. We owe it to humankind.

Anne’s father Otto Franks a surviver of the Holocaust, reflected on the tree and its meaning for his daughter:

“How could I have suspected how important the chestnut tree was to her?” he said. “But she longed for it during that time when she felt like a caged bird. She only found consolation in thinking about nature.”

And perhaps a testament to his continued belief in humanity are these words he spoke “If the world were to end tomorrow, I would still plant a tree today”

How incredible to be so full of HOPE.

Love and Light
Cindy xx

AVAILABLE NOW AS A FINE ART PRINT IN MY SHOP
40cm x 30cm £35.00
Prints are unframed and on 220gsm satin

Here I am on the roof of 263 Prinsengracht with the tree in the background.

Planting of the sapling at UCS School - Hampstead, London.

The director of the Anne Frank House was so happy with the painting that she sent a sapling from the original tree to me. I asked permission to plant the sapling in the grounds of UCS School, Hampstead, London - where the children could watch it grow in the hope that it would remind them how fortunate they are to have their freedom in this country.

It was a very moving morning - Eva Schloss with Bee Klugh, co-founder of the Anne Frank Trust, both planted the sapling to the sound of a violinist playing Schindler’s list.

I love trees with a passion. I am truly honoured to have been part of this journey.

“The best remedy for those who are frightened, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be alone, alone with the sky, nature and God. For then, and only then, can you feel that everything is as it should be and that God wants people to be happy amid nature’s beauty and simplicity.” Anne Frank