Wednesday; September 10

Chaim Witz is an Israeli-born musician who was born in Haifa, Israel.  Witz’s mother, Flora, was a Holocaust survivor who moved to Israel from Hungary.  Flora and her brother, Larry, were the only members of her family to survive the Nazi regime. Flora and her husband moved to Israel in 1947, and Chaim was born in 1949.  Witz’s family spent his early life scraping by until his parents divorced when he was eight years old.  After the divorce, Chaim and Flora moved to New York where he completed his education and even graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education.  After school he worked at a variety of jobs including a stint at Vogue magazine and a short time as a sixth-grade instructor in the city.  It kind of seems like a rags-to-riches story, doesn’t it?  Yet, you haven’t heard the rest of the story – you see, Chaim Witz transformed into Gene Simmons … yeah, the guy from KISS. 

When I heard this story recently, I was surprised and intrigued.  I think I was probably left with more questions than answers.  Now, while I haven’t been a huge fan of the band, it does serve as a reminder that all of us have a backstory.  No, not all of them are as intriguing as this one, but in one way or another, they are our own. 

You may be wondering where I am going with this – so here it is.  I want to encourage you to find someone you don’t know – maybe even someone who don’t necessarily hang around with – and ask them their story.  As they tell you about their lives, think about what made them who they have become or what they have had to overcome to be where they are now.  Rather than assuming what we know about them from our surface interactions with them is the truth, seek to find out more. 

We are blessed to live in a blended society.  Let’s not become so focused on how different we are that we lose sight of how unique we are.  Who knows, you might be living near or working with someone who has an incredible story of their own.

          Think About It! 

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