Still reading through Dietrich Bonhoeffer's letters (and afraid I'm developing something of a crush). Just wanted to share a couple funny things this man wrote while he was in prison. Soon before he was arrested, the never married 36 year old became engaged to 19 year old Maria. (There is even a book with their love letters - heart-wrenching...) Dietrich was writing to his best friend, Eberhard, who was newly married to Dietrich's younger niece. So here are two men in their 30s smitten badly with younger women. Dietrich spent some of his precious letter writing time (and this was one that did not go past the censor) complaining about Maria reading cheezy novels (my words, not his). My first thought was "Sexist older man!" Then I recalled grilling my husband on why he never read any books that weren't written by Coach K...
In another letter to Eberhard, Dietrich is writing about trying to get the most from each day - to enjoy what we can in the present. Remember, this is still a very smitten man who has only seen his fiance for a few hours in a number of months. And he has no idea when he will ever be released. He knows some people only put their thoughts into living in the past, or in the future (as in hoping for heaven one day). He wrote to his newlywed friend, "...for a man in his wife's arms to be hankering after the other world, is, in mild terms, a piece of bad taste..."
Truly hysterical! But also, just so true...
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