Snapshots of My Heart

Let’s be real, those woke-up-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-bed days are way too frequent. The saddest thing about rotten days, though, is the rottenness they tend to expose in us.

The kids of Chokecherry are bombarded with difficult circumstances, individually and as a student body at Chokecherry Middle School. On top of the normal struggles of school, becoming young adults, and making friends, these kids are faced with a character dilemma when a series of swastikas start appearing all over their school, and soon, all over town.

The antisemitic symbols are disturbing and scary, especially as weeks go by without any clues arising as to who is behind them. The rottenness the symbols stand for is wide and deep, and they prompt discussions about the town’s past that are dark and surprising. Instead of allowing the darkness to rot their souls, however, the children of Chokecherry take a stand. A decision is made to begin work on a paper link chain, with the goal of reaching six million links – one for every Jewish life taken in the Holocaust.

This colossal project inspires the world, but the kids work has only just begun. Their perseverance will be tested as they encounter setbacks, criticism, difficult questions, and sad revelations.

Linked is a sobering reminder to band together against evil of all kinds, and to forgive others, especially when they don’t deserve it.