Yesterday we went to Auschwitz concentration camp. I really debated about whether I wanted to return again this year. Obviously it's a difficult and painful thing to see and hear about. But I decided that I needed to go.
This time was so much harder. The tears started the moment I walked through that gate- which, as I'm sure most of you know, is not the norm for me. Last year I walked through the grounds numb. This year I walked through with eyes blurred from tears. I cannot comprehend the evil that took place on the very ground that I now walked upon. That the bright blue sky with sun that warmed my back and dried the tears on my cheeks also looked upon human suffering that the mind cannot fathom. I felt like the sky should be dark and gray. I could not take pictures. I know that people need to know. They need to see. But I tell you, you simply cannot grasp the full impact from a photograph. Trust me. Being there is haunting and chilling, and I decided yesterday that I don't think I can ever return to that place.
But I think I will carry those images with me forever. And that's not a bad thing, I don't think. We have to keep those horrible memories alive, because to forget is to open the possibility of an atrocity like this happening again.
We cannot forget. Yet I wish I could understand.
It's moments like these when I wish I could speak with God. Some clarification would be most welcome.
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