The Gift of Gisela

Welcome to the story of Gisela, orphaned in the early 1930's and saved by a loving foster family in a working-class neighborhood in Berlin, Germany, she grew up under the scrutiny of Jewish oppression during her school years and lived through the horrors of the war. Following the war, she married a man who would abuse her, then convince her that starting a new life in America would fix all their problems. In 1959 the family immigrated to America only to have her husband abandon her for his mistress when the affair was uncovered. She found herself alone in a foreign country with two young daughters to care for, where she barely spoke the language, and with no family to support her, no money, and no idea how to survive. How she managed and forged ahead is a tale of pure perseverance, strength, determination, and growth as she learned to find her own voice and overcome unthinkable losses. It's the story of learning to love again and overcome decades of heartbreak to find healing and happiness. This is the story of my mother and what makes it remarkable is that it's true. She's been a gift to everyone whose lives she's touched -she is the gift of Gisela.