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Auschwitz

How do I begin? This is probably the most disturbing blog entry I will ever have to write, but I think it is so important to share my experience because I truly feel that this is something EVERYONE should experience in their life. Due to high tourist season, I decided to book a guided tour to Auschwitz figuring that would be the easiest option. A van picked us up and on the two hour ride we watched a video to give us some background information. In the video we learned that our 3 hour visit to the concentration camp would be far longer than many prisoners visits. This alone just broke my heart but I knew this day was going to be hard so I just tried to absorb everything.



The truth is there is nothing that can prepare you for walking up to a place where millions of people were senselessly slaughtered. As we did the tour a deep sadness consumed me and I was moved to tears several times. We saw rooms full of human hair, shoes, and other items left behind. We saw suffocation chambers and what remains of the gas chambers before the Nazis blew it up to try to hide evidence. We learned that many woman and children were sent directly to the gas chambers because they were perceived as weak; some of these women knew what was coming and were forced to bring their children into the chambers. Now, I am not a mother but I have a niece that I love more than anything in this world and I could not even imagine being in their situation. What these people faced was unfathomable.

And it really makes you think..all of this happened LESS than 100 years ago. All because of hate and fear in the hearts of a few, so many people suffered. This is why I think it is important for everyone to experience this...to remember how powerful fear and hatred can be. In a world that is full of evil and hatred I pray that more people choose love, because our future generations literally depend on it.
               💓💙💚💛💜💗💙💚💛💜💓💙💚💛💜💗💙💚💛💜

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