Dear Mrs. Miller,

Thank you for taking the time to speak at the BCBSM UCIC Book Club on May 15. We were honored and moved by your presence.

I have been lucky enough to see you three times: the Holocaust Memorial Center, the AU All-Staff Meeting, and the book club session. What strikes me every single time is that despite going through more trauma and trials than most people experience in a lifetime, you are one of the most positive, humorous, kind persons I have ever met. You have this lovely twinkle in your eye. Since hearing you speak and reading your book, I often look to your resilience as inspiration.

Please see the attachments for pictures of your visit with us and a short piece I wrote in our newsletter.

Thank you,

Kaily Daida

Actuarial Analyst II, Actuarial Pricing

Office: (313) 448-5477

Dear Irene,                                                                             4/27/2017

Bless you for coming all this way to what turned out to be the "snowy" UP of Michigan to talk about your life and experiences as a survivor of the Holocaust.  What you shared and the way you shared it will impact me for the rest of my life.  You truly have a gift of sharing insight, wisdom, experience and lessons for humanity.  I am still sitting with it all.  Of course we all have been exposed in some measure to this dark history, however you are the first person I have heard speak who can share in such a way that you both rivet the listener and bring them in with you to the experience from your eyes as young and innocent child as well as relax the listener enough to allow the experience to soak in.  You have a way with words and your manner is calming and strong with a blend of humor sprinkled in at times during such a sobering tale of your life.  I am in awe of you and your strength, resilience and ultimate hope.

I left feeling empowered that we CAN make a difference in the fabric we try to build in our own communities to sew seeds of understanding, respect and possibility instead of seeds of mistrust, insecurity, and hatred. 

We are, as many other communities across our nation, dealing with kids who are treating other kids with less than the full measure of humanity. 

I am so grateful that I came in to Temple Jacob last night even though it was entirely full and I wormed my way into the stairwell of the balcony and listened to your voice tell your personal story.  I am going to be forever grateful to you for surviving and sharing it with as many as you do.  You are a beautiful witness to so many who were never able to survive to share and for us to learn from and never repeat or even come close.

Blessings to you.  Please consider a return trip to the U.P. and we will try to promise better weather!

-- 

Cynthi​a Drake​

"The best gift you can give others is the resolute embrace of your own truth." - Martha Beck

Cynthia Drake

Openings Life Coaching  

cynthiamdrake@gmail.com

http://openingslifecoaching.com/

http://www.openingslifecoaching.com/blog/

eMerge Life Coach

www.emergecoachingservices.com

www.emergemilitaryservices.org

eMerge Military Services is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

Irene, I am excited to see you in Traverse City in a month! 

The positive impact club (which was inspired by a spark you ignited) is called TIGERS Unite and had 60 students attend our first/introductory meeting!  The students already had some excellent ideas to spread kindness and accepted their first challenge of giving somebody a compliment everyday. Two students came up with a word of kindness wall with positive quotes and messages. I was so overwhelmed with the interest and contagion of these small acts of kindness.

You have made a tremendous impact on the students of Allegan. LE White students have accepted your challenge to spread kindness and are promoting tolerance!!. 💕

> On Sep 21, 2016, at 9:52 PM, irene miller <nomanslandmiller@gmail.com> wrote:

>

Good morning Irene,

I want to thank you so much for participating in our Constitution Day program last Friday.  It was such an honor to meet you and to hear your amazing life story.  I started reading your book on Friday evening and couldn’t put it down until I finished it on Sunday.  I can’t tell you what an effect your story and book has had on me.  You are truly a very special person and I am so happy that I was able to meet you. 

This was our 11th year of hosting this program and I have never seen a group of students so attentive to our speaker.  They were mesmerized by your talk and know that you have planted a seed that they will never forget.  Hoping that they went home and talked to their parents about your talk and this will be the beginning of their enlightenment on this horrible part of our history.. 

Thank you again for coming and I hope our paths cross soon.

Karen

Karen Koshen

Court Resource and Program Specialist

Court Administration

Oakland County Circuit