Memory of a Memory

   A broken Budweiser bottle triggered my memory of another person's memory. Sound weird?
   The story begins in Nazi Germany. During one night, mobs all over the country destroyed Jewish shops. They beat Jews senseless. Some victims lost their lives. It was the infamous Kristallnacht, also called the Night of Broken Glass.
   The police stood around. They feared intervening. So did most citizens.
   A boy, a member of the Hitler Youth, witnessed the horror.  He noticed a woman--a non Jew--confront a police officer. She demanded he stop the violence. She was vocal about it. She didn't mind that other people watched her. The officer told her to shut up for her own good.
   The woman's courage remain etched in the boy's mind. Later he became a missionary. I met him a few years ago in Zimbabwe. He was old and infirm. He regaled me with stories of his life. To my regret, I neglected to take his photo.
   Acts of courage are remembered long after they've happened