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| | Post New Topic | | I Thought of Her and Realized Again How Fortunate We Really Are... | Views: 1523 | | Nov 26, 2007 8:05 pm | | I Thought of Her and Realized Again How Fortunate We Really Are... | # | 
Marilyn Jenett | |
This Thanksgiving weekend as I was contemplating everything I had to feel grateful for, a woman I met a few years ago came to mind. Her story had a profound impact on me at that time and always “shocks” me into perspective whenever I think of her…
In 2003, I was contracted to book the first of many locations for my client, Campbell Soup, for their multi million dollar “Souper Star” promotions for children. The first location that I found and secured for them was the white Malibu estate.
The owner of the mansion was a woman named Punty Bogart. Punty was 80 years old. She was petite, energetic and very feisty. Her home was pristine and beautifully elegant in European style. She wasn’t the easiest person to deal with, but she did take a liking to me and she could be very charming.
One day I had to visit her to have her sign some paperwork. I noticed that she was limping, which I hadn’t seen her do before. I asked her if she had fallen. She replied in her European accent, “No darling, it’s from the concentration camp.”
Punty sat me down and told me a story that left me stunned.
When Punty was just 20 years old, she and her family were sent to a concentration camp. Well, that wasn’t so unusual. I had met and read about survivors of the Holocaust. But what she told me next was probably one of the most unusual accounts I could ever imagine. Punty was taken to the gas chamber with hundreds of other women. I sat motionless and tears welled up as she relived her experience. She said that the women were crying and screaming, “God, why have you done this to me?”
Punty was pulled from the gas chamber by guards because they needed someone to clean the toilets. It saved her life. You may meet people who have survived the camps. But you never meet anyone who survived the gas chamber.
She later met her husband, they came to America, went into business and created their wealth.
Her sporadic pain that caused the limp was a reminder of her past. She had many health ailments, which I understand is not uncommon to survivors of that time.
In my life, I have sometimes thought about what happened during the Holocaust and it's incomprehensible to me how something of that magnitude could have happened. It would stir very deep feelings in me and I don’t believe it is because I was born a Jew. It’s because I was born human. And I cannot fathom how that kind of inhumanity could take root and grow. At the hands of a madman, no less.
I may never be able to fathom it. But I will always be grateful that I was born in this time and in this country. It may not be perfect, but it’s a great deal closer to heaven than most other places…
And that’s a lot to be grateful for.
Thank you, Punty, for giving me such a great frame of gratitude reference.
~ Marilyn
Marilyn Jenett, Founder and Mentor, the Feel Free to Prosper Program
Website: http://www.FeelFreetoProsper.com
Ryze Network: http://prosper-network.ryze.com
Programs and Products: http://www.feelfreetoprosper.com/products.html
Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett | | Nov 26, 2007 9:54 pm | | re: I Thought of Her and Realized Again How Fortunate We Really Are... | # |
territhomas | | Thank you for sharing this with us Marilyn. What a powerful story! It does makes or at least should make us grateful for the country we live in.
Terri Thomas
Private Reply to territhomas | | Nov 26, 2007 9:56 pm | | re: I Thought of Her and Realized Again How Fortunate We Really Are... | # | 
Julie Bestry | | Marilyn, thank you so much for sharing this story.
Of all the wise things my mother has told me over years, the one piece of advice that always sticks with me is "Don't worry about what you want but don't have. Be thankful you don't have what you don't want."
Punty was, I'm sure, thankful to be spared the ultimate horror, even with all she was forced to endure, and your retelling of her story reminds us all to be so thankful that we have not endured such horrors.
--
Julie Bestry, Certified Professional Organizer®
Best Results Organizing
"Don't apologize. Organize!"
organize@juliebestry.com
Visit http://www.juliebestry.com to save time and money, reduce stress and increase your productivity
Private Reply to Julie Bestry | | Mar 22, 2008 8:07 pm | | re: re: I Thought of Her and Realized Again How Fortunate We Really Are...Interesting Update | # |
Marilyn Jenett | |
FFTP Members,
I posted this story about Punty last November during Thanksgiving weekend.
A couple of days ago I received a surprising message through a Ryze PM and I have received permission to post the correspondence that resulted. I felt that you would find the messages interesting - you will get to know a bit more about Punty, her granddaughter's love - and the miracle of the Internet...
Here are those messages and my replies:
Johanna Engel wrote:
Subject: Punty Bogart
Hi, I'm not sure if you can still recieve this message because I see you posted this a long time ago but I want you to know that Punty was my grandma. I'm so glad to see that she left her legacy with everyone she encountered. I loved her very much and there are more to those holocaust stories that make her even more wonderful. Thank you for sharing that story.
Sincerely,
Johanna
Marilyn's reply:
Dear Johanna,
Yes, I still receive any messages sent to me on Ryze.
How wonderful to receive your note. It's very meaningful. Yes, her story had great impact on me.
I see that you are not an active member on Ryze, so I wonder how you found my post about Punty.
You mention that she "was" your grandma. Has she passed on?
I know she sold the Malibu home but I assumed she moved elsewhere, maybe to Tahoe.
Regards,
Marilyn
Johanna Engel wrote:
My dad was actually just searching her name online and found it and printed it out.
Unfortunately my grandmother passed away 2 years ago in a tragic car accident. They had moved in South Carolina for about 1 month when it happened. My grandfather is still in SC and it is difficult for him without her, how couldn't it be. I just really wanted to thank you for sharing not even knowing we somehow could see it.
Marilyn's reply:
I'm sorry she's gone.
And I am so happy that my sharing about her touched you in some way. Johanna, thank you for letting me know.
I received several private messages about that post - a woman in England who had taken my prosperity program wrote that my story about Punty meant more to her than she could ever express.
So Punty touched many. And she reaffirmed how much we do have to be grateful for.
Marilyn
Who knew that through the miracle of the Internet my post would be found by her loved ones and touch them in some way? Why was I prompted to share her full name in that post? A tribute delivered by divine orchestration?
M
Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett | | Mar 23, 2008 12:41 am | | Thought of Her and Realized Again How Fortunate We Really Are...Interesting Update | # | 
Paul Finkelstein Early bird Entrepreneur - omgtalk.com | | Sorry to hear of Punty's passing. :(
We are ALL very fortunate to hear of her courage and success.
:)
Thanks for bringing the update to us Marilyn.
We appeciate your time you spend to let us know over here on the other coast/S Florida.
What line of business was Punty and her husband in after they came over from Europe?
Kindest regards,
Paul
* SKYPE ID: Paul.Steven.Photography.llc "Put Your BEST Face Forward!"
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Private Reply to Paul Finkelstein Early bird Entrepreneur - omgtalk.com | | |
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