Remembrance Day

Yesterday as I sat for the moment of silence I couldn't help but feel an amazing amount of gratitude for those that have risked their lives, and are risking their lives for us and our freedom.

When I lived in New York I worked for a family that was Jewish. I learned an incredible amount of things about their religion and I had some really neat experiences that I will remember for ALL my life. One of the amazing experiences I had was I got to spend time with this family's Zadie and Bubie (Grandpa and Grandma). They would come over quite often and then one day I noticed some numbers on Zadie's arm. I had NO idea what they were and I asked him about them. He told me that these were the numbers that were his identity as he was in the concentration camps. He wasn't a person, he was a number at that time and these numbers represented that. I don't know if all of the prisoners received one of these tatoos but I know many did and Bubie showed me hers as well. WOW!!! That one moment made me feel like all that history that I had been taught in school was REAL. That there REALLY were "those" people out there and that I now knew 2 of them.

I didn't know if it would be disrespectful to ask a lot of questions but over time I learned a bit of Zadie(Grandpa) and Bubie's(Grandma) stories. They were VERY young when their families were captured, they were taken to the camps and seperated from all of their siblings and parents. Zadie was put to work... I don't know what he did, but he was strong so he was "needed". I heard that they saw THE most HORRIBLE things. I heard stories of rape, of beatings, of torture, but also of hope, of belief, of determination, and of love.

They were finally let go, I assume after the war was over, but I don't know (or remember). They moved to the USA at an incredibly young age, Bubie was only 14. They instantly started working, and working INCREDIBLY hard and tried to make a better life for themselves. Bubie somehow found one of her sisters, whom she had thought she had lost forever, the rest of her family she never saw again. I don't remember if Zadie ever found anyone, but I don't think he did. They eventually met, fell in love, and started their family.

I wish that I would have respectfully asked more questions and actually taken the time to write down the details. However, some of the details I will always remember. The details of how grateful they were for those who fought SOOOO hard to help them, complete strangers, but people that deserved to live. The details of how Bubie's eyes glazed over as she told me of the conditions of the places she was kept, to say they were kept in places and treated like animals would be a HUGE understatement. The detail of the numbers that are forever printed on their arms as a constant reminder of where they came from and where they are now. The numbers that were hidden from the world under long sleeved shirts at all times to help these people to keep their secrets.

I will never forget those details.

I am Grateful and I will REMEMBER.