Corrie ten Boom grew up in Holland at the turn of the century and is best known for her work in the Dutch underground resistance during World War II. She and her family are credited with rescuing hundreds of Jews and were the hub of these efforts in the city of Haarlem. She and her sister were arrested, imprisoned, and suffered in a Dutch concentration camp, later to be shipped to a death camp in Germany. The evil they encountered was shocking to these conservative women, but they did not shrink back. They showed courage and fortitude that gave hope and strength to so many suffering around them. In her book “The Hiding Place” Corrie describes experiences in her life that, unbeknownst to her, prepared her for just this type of work. One such moment occurred after she was betrayed by the love of her life in young adulthood. The only man she had ever loved and ever imagined spending her life with. She had given her heart completely to this man. They had shared secrets, dreamed of future children and even planted imaginary flowers outside the home they would share. The pain of this deception and the depth of this loss for her present and future was devastating. She describes that night after her love, her Karel, appeared at her family’s doorstep with his fiancée and shockingly announced their upcoming wedding:
Perhaps, as my pastor told me when I called him and could barely get my words out amidst my uncontrollable sobbing about how I didn't want my son to become a girl, God has chosen only the strong ones who He knows can endure this to walk this road. My pastor said, in reaction to my brokenness, that he was actually in awe of me because for God to allow this to happen to me, must mean I am really strong.... I don't feel strong, but I am still here so who knows 🙏🤷♀️❤💔😥
The story of Corrie ten Boom and her family's work of hiding and rescuing people during the Holocaust has been a great inspiration to me for years. I appreciate the connection you make between this real part of history and the love we should strive for as hurting parents of trans children.
Such a lovely piece, thank you. My grandmother gave me The Hiding Place when I was about 11 or 12. How profound that the message of that book would revisit me through your essay. I'm also remembering the song You Are My Hiding Place which you can find on Spotify. I'm not religious anymore but I still pray fervently for my children every day with a faith that transcends any specific religion.
This is a masterful piece of writing. There have been many meaningful essays on this wonderful Substack, but this one, this is the one that comforted me most. The Hiding Place and Corrie TenBoom have been inspirational in my life, but I never knew that even now with a grown son sucked into this evil life, that her life would once again help make sense of the chaos. May all who have lost sons and daughters to this madness find them “clothed and in their right mind” either in this world or the next.
Thank you for reminding me of that book. Inspirational. I can relate to being in a hiding place. The world is against me, I need divine protection and to keep believing that love can conquer evil.
This is absolutely incredible, and so beautifully written. If you are not a professional author - you could be.
I am going through a terrible time with my "trans" kid right now, and this piece has lifted me up.
I don't know if you are a person of faith, and I don't mean to read things into what you write, but I agree with others who have commented that this also seems to describe the pure, incomparable love of God. This is a love which we attempt (however inadequately, and whether we are explicitly religious on not) to emulate in our love for our children.
Although I don't have a trans kid, there are words that resonated with me very much tonight in this piece. Thank you. You have changed a life a little bit for the better :)
That love you describe is like God’s love for us. God created the world and he is rejected, he lives among us and we ignore him, he is the light and we choose to live in darkness. Yes, i understand you and love that way it is what God command us, it’s the right way and the more powerful way, that is the kind of love we have to teach and to learn, a selfless love that transcends biological barriers, love the soul and pray for that soul, your prayer will save them, prayers will save all the transgender people maybe not in this life but in the next. There is a lot of spiritual components in this battle for our children, this is not just a simple trend, there are powers who invest money in destroying societies through destroying families first, this is bigger than a confused children. You know which are the states that more people become transgender? California and NY. What that tell us? This is an agenda pushed from outside to the souls of humans, nobody was confused before, did we grow up without traumas or difficulties? Not at all, it’s called growing, breaking bad, suffering and making mistakes, live and learn used to say my Mom when I was upset because things did not go my way or the world wasn’t as I have pictured it, reality is a beaach, but we cannot change it. Now these criminals liers come and tell your son or daughter that all their unhappiness is because they borne in the wrong body. I think that this teach us we have to be more rough with our children, more hard, let them run and get hurt, let them cry and move along. Last decades parents have protected their children excessively, of all suffering, we mustn’t do that, we must teach them that live is hard and suffering is part of life and that other children in other parts do not have all they have, we must teach them to be grateful and appreciative and that material things aren’t substitute for love, as parents we need to learn to say NO to our children, and they need to learn to manage rejection as well and teach them that is nothing wrong with that because life is not an ad of Disney.
Perhaps, as my pastor told me when I called him and could barely get my words out amidst my uncontrollable sobbing about how I didn't want my son to become a girl, God has chosen only the strong ones who He knows can endure this to walk this road. My pastor said, in reaction to my brokenness, that he was actually in awe of me because for God to allow this to happen to me, must mean I am really strong.... I don't feel strong, but I am still here so who knows 🙏🤷♀️❤💔😥
So beautiful, thank you
Thanks for this. Just what I needed to hear on day 163 of estrangement.
I really needed this--thank you so much.
The story of Corrie ten Boom and her family's work of hiding and rescuing people during the Holocaust has been a great inspiration to me for years. I appreciate the connection you make between this real part of history and the love we should strive for as hurting parents of trans children.
Such a lovely piece, thank you. My grandmother gave me The Hiding Place when I was about 11 or 12. How profound that the message of that book would revisit me through your essay. I'm also remembering the song You Are My Hiding Place which you can find on Spotify. I'm not religious anymore but I still pray fervently for my children every day with a faith that transcends any specific religion.
boy, did I need this reminder... thank you
This is a masterful piece of writing. There have been many meaningful essays on this wonderful Substack, but this one, this is the one that comforted me most. The Hiding Place and Corrie TenBoom have been inspirational in my life, but I never knew that even now with a grown son sucked into this evil life, that her life would once again help make sense of the chaos. May all who have lost sons and daughters to this madness find them “clothed and in their right mind” either in this world or the next.
Beautiful 💔♥️
Thank you for reminding me of that book. Inspirational. I can relate to being in a hiding place. The world is against me, I need divine protection and to keep believing that love can conquer evil.
This is absolutely incredible, and so beautifully written. If you are not a professional author - you could be.
I am going through a terrible time with my "trans" kid right now, and this piece has lifted me up.
I don't know if you are a person of faith, and I don't mean to read things into what you write, but I agree with others who have commented that this also seems to describe the pure, incomparable love of God. This is a love which we attempt (however inadequately, and whether we are explicitly religious on not) to emulate in our love for our children.
Again, thank you!!
"This love...It refuses to allow this great tragedy to be the end."
Yes. Thank you.
Love, Indio
Although I don't have a trans kid, there are words that resonated with me very much tonight in this piece. Thank you. You have changed a life a little bit for the better :)
Beautiful.
Thank you from a mother who has lost hope. Yet, even when we say we have lost hope, hope never truly dies.
This really touched me. Thank you for sharing.
That love you describe is like God’s love for us. God created the world and he is rejected, he lives among us and we ignore him, he is the light and we choose to live in darkness. Yes, i understand you and love that way it is what God command us, it’s the right way and the more powerful way, that is the kind of love we have to teach and to learn, a selfless love that transcends biological barriers, love the soul and pray for that soul, your prayer will save them, prayers will save all the transgender people maybe not in this life but in the next. There is a lot of spiritual components in this battle for our children, this is not just a simple trend, there are powers who invest money in destroying societies through destroying families first, this is bigger than a confused children. You know which are the states that more people become transgender? California and NY. What that tell us? This is an agenda pushed from outside to the souls of humans, nobody was confused before, did we grow up without traumas or difficulties? Not at all, it’s called growing, breaking bad, suffering and making mistakes, live and learn used to say my Mom when I was upset because things did not go my way or the world wasn’t as I have pictured it, reality is a beaach, but we cannot change it. Now these criminals liers come and tell your son or daughter that all their unhappiness is because they borne in the wrong body. I think that this teach us we have to be more rough with our children, more hard, let them run and get hurt, let them cry and move along. Last decades parents have protected their children excessively, of all suffering, we mustn’t do that, we must teach them that live is hard and suffering is part of life and that other children in other parts do not have all they have, we must teach them to be grateful and appreciative and that material things aren’t substitute for love, as parents we need to learn to say NO to our children, and they need to learn to manage rejection as well and teach them that is nothing wrong with that because life is not an ad of Disney.