Dr. Robert Fisch—Freedom, Day One

Dr. Robert O. Fisch

On this day 57 years ago—New Year’s Day, 1957—Holocaust survivor Dr. Robert Fisch sailed into New York Harbor. He had been persecuted in his homeland of Communist Hungary and likely would have been executed for his role in the 1956 Revolution there. Thirty-seven years later, in 1993, he received a medal of honor from the president of Hungary for his heroic actions in the liberation of Hungary.

January 1, 1957, was a joyous and auspicious day for Dr. Fisch, but it was only day one of a long and difficult process that finally led to true freedom. He explains why in the poignant and moving Introduction in his book, The Metamorphosis to Freedom.

You are most likely one of the fortunate people who were born in freedom. Only a fraction of people throughout history have been that lucky. I was not one of them.

When I was a young man in Hungary, the Nazis imprisoned, deported and killed Jewish people—including my father and many other members of my family—simply because they were Jews. Then the Communists took over my country and told me where and ow I could practice medicine, for by then I had become a doctor.

I rebelled against the Communists, escaped from Hungary and eventually came to the United States.

I waited a long time for freedom, but it did not come when

Of Heartache, Hope and Heroes

In this three-minute video from Guideposts, author Tricia Goyer recalls how she collected inspirational stories of World War II veterans for her novel, Remembering You.


Goyer, who lives in Little Rock, Arkansas, shared the behind-the-scenes details of her meetings with World War II vets in Guideposts magazine. By wading into the soldiers’ pasts, she unintentionally set in motion a poignant coda to a powerful story.

WAR HEROES PROVIDE ANSWER TO AUTHOR’S PRAYER
A romance novelist listened to the memories of World War II veterans whose inspiring stories were waiting to be told

Tricia Goyer

With every one of the 12 hours it took me to get to Kalamazoo, Michigan, my doubts grew. I was a young mom of three, an aspiring romance novelist who’d yet to commit more than a few chapters of a book to paper—let alone get a publisher interested. What business did I have attending a reunion of World War II vets, interviewing them about one of the most troubling times in human history? Now here I was, at the hotel, wondering if my trip was a big mistake. These veterans might not warm up to you right away, I warned myself, walking into the lobby.

A man saw me and rushed over. “Are you

The Spirit Laughs For What It Has Found

Allowing events in the external world to shape and define your internal world is an act of self-delusion that always leads to suffering.

Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.
Mahatma Gandhi

You must lose the fear of losing what you fear to lose. Free yourself by turning your attention from what might be lost to your fear of losing it. Each layer of fear you peel away gives you a

Remain Sitting at Your Table and Listen

If you are always on the go, the notion of taking time for quiet reflection may seem counterintuitive. Yet silence is your natural state. It may take a few attempts before you are able to sit quietly and breathe deeply without feeling anxious.

All man’s miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone.
Blaise Pascal

Done mindfully, sitting in silence delivers you fully into the present moment, washing away your troubles and synchronizing your breathing with

Loss and Liberation

Like countless other people in these difficult economic times, my living arrangements are far simpler and humbler than they were a short time ago. While I certainly miss certain amenities, I’ve rediscovered that there is freedom in living more simply. Even when my financial situation improves, I will be exceedingly careful about adding complexity back into my life.

You have learned something. That always feels at first as if you had lost something.
George Bernard Shaw

Right after I decided to write this post, I came across this Simon Cowell interview on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, In this one-minute excerpt, Simon recalls his free fall from hit record producer to flat broke, wondering if he even had enough money to pay for the cab ride back to his parents’ house. I was surprised to hear Simon say that