Twenty-five years ago today was absolutely one of the most important days in modern world history, where an absolutely horrific concrete monument to division, ideological and personal, began to crumble. A monument to fear and control, upon which ONE people, of different countries, finally were able to dance and sing, cry and celebrate with family, friends and with perfect strangers! On that day, everyone was family! That day was over 28 years in the making, and brought about an incredible and nearly audible sigh of relief for men all over the world.
It wasn't the first domino to fall, but it WAS the most important one! This was the crack in the iron curtain that was to be it's ultimate demise, and it was very long overdue.
I have always been so fascinated by the cold war era, from the cloak and dagger espionage of World War II Berlin, to the creation of a separated Europe, to it's ultimate reunification, this time in history was fraught with deep secrets of government so insecure that some estimate that 1/4 of the population of East Germany essentially employed by the "State Security" (Stasi) to report any suspicious activities of neighbors.
I have previously written in this blog about my first visit to East Berlin in 1986 as a 16-year old high school student and the impressions of that time that still follow me, and to some extent still haunt me. There are things I will never forget. The obvious sadness in people's faces, the lack of color in the city, the guards on watch on Alexanderplatz. These images will live in my mind forever....
On November 9, 1989, I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I found out the wall had come down. I was living in Munich and going to the University of Maryland on McGraw Kaserne. I had gone to class that day and had come home pretty tired from the day. It was maybe 4pm or so and I decided to go back to bed and take a long nap, which I never did. When I got up, around 6pm, I turned on the TV. I had a US television set and could only receive the US station, AFN. But all I remember seeing was hundreds of Germans on top of the wall that had just until that morning had separated families: one race of men.
Now, all of the sudden, they were taking pickaxes and whatever they could find to destroy that damned wall that stood for everything contrary to the indomitable human spirit. It was finally going away!!! The flow of humanity and excitement could no longer be stopped. It was over! The line of Trabants coming west was kilometer-long and the throng of celebrating humanity has never been seen before in Germany, and may never be seen again in our lifetime.
But back in my dorm room in Munich, as I sat on my bed in shock and disbelief, but with utter joy, the tears uncontrollable. I remember not being able to even see the screen through the warm salty tears welling up in my eyes, then travelling down my cheeks to soak my shirt. I wanted to get up and dance, I wanted to scream and yell and celebrate with anyone and everyone I saw. Because I saw the way it had been on the other side of that horrible prison wall.
I was very blessed to have been able to live in Berlin for two months in 1992 as well. One day, as I was riding my bike, I had only made it a few blocks from home before I stopped suddenly. Though there was really no trace of it, I had stopped in No-Man's-Land. For those not familiar with this term (or at least how it pertains to Berlin), basically there were two walls. There was a wall on to the west, and one wall to the east. First, this made it twice as difficult to escape, but the area between the walls was about 100 meters, and laden with mines, razor wire, etc. That was no-man's land.
So, here I was standing right in the dead zone, where in the middle of the city there had been no buildings, no roads, only devices and guards with weapons to keep their citizens in. Or else.
So, I looked around me and realized that I was crossing over to the east. This was less than 3 years after the wall had begun to come down. It was obvious by the look of the buildings that I was entering a different place. I paused for a moment to just take it in. Then I got back on my bike and headed north into the center of Berlin, on the east. The area I stopped in is near Moritzplatz, and is now almost completely indiscernible from when I saw it on that day in September 1992. To a large extent I'm glad about that.
So what can I say about all this? I'm not sure. I guess this is just me strolling down memory lane with you a bit. I'm feeling so excited for my German family today, yet wishing I could be there to celebrate with you, to share your stories and sharing my small piece of my indelible experiences as well. Germany will always have a very powerful and special place in my heart, and it's exactly this kind of thing that will always solidify my love of that people and the land, and its history. These things can never be taken from me, because they have made me who I am today.
I guess it all comes full circle as, even now, my eyes are welling up with tears of joy and deep gratitude and as they roll down my cheeks; just as they had a quarter century ago. Those days I remember as though they had just happened yesterday. Thank you, God, for allowing me to be able to be there. I know I will return in your time. I just ask that you speed the day.
So, finally tonight, I wanted to share a book that I read while I was in Berlin and HIGHLY recommend it for anyone interested in knowing more about this incredible time in history. The book is called Tear Down This Wall by Romesh Ratnesar. Here is a link to some more information on the book if you're interested: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Tear-Down-This-Wall/Romesh-Ratnesar/9781416556916
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It's after midnight in Seattle, and later tonight, I am joining a group of Germans at a "Mauerparty" to talk about our experiences, have a beer and some German food. I'm so excited to have this experience. I miss Germany with all my heart. I'm giving my heart here in Seattle more and more, but I yearn for what I consider to be the place I really belong.... It's hard to be so far from where my heart is. I want to let you all know there that I love you and miss you deeply, and that I can't wait for the day where I can be with you all again. Bis hoffentlich bald!!!!
With all my love, Tim
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| Where the Wall once stood between Spandau and Falkensee |
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