Upon arriving to the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, I was looking forward to an eye opening experience. As I looked around at the exhibit, I became overwhelmed with sadness. I came across a beautiful picture of a mother with her two children. The comment beside the picture noted that they were awaiting a mass murder. I was horrified. Being a mother, I immediately saw myself in that woman’s place and felt physically ill and crushed. The next picture that tortured my soul was of a woman holding a child with a gun pointed at their backs. At that point, I had seen more than I could handle without breaking down. I honestly planned on viewing and reading everything on display. I knew it was important to do so for a better understanding of the severity of what happened to so many innocent people. The truth is I was a coward. I could not handle the devastation, and so I shamefully avoided looking closely and tried my best to separate my emotions throughout the rest of the display.
Meeting Mrs. Magda Brown was an experience I am most thankful for and will never forget. She is an incredible woman. Listening to her recall her personal memories from such a torturous experience made every concern in my life seem ridiculous. From the time she was only sixteen, her world was turned upside down. That kind of mental and physical suffering is truly unimaginable. I could tell from the way she spoke, smiled, and welcomed us into her life story that her spirit had not been completely broken. She makes me want to be a better person and grateful for all that I have been blessed with in this life. I hope many others get the opportunity to meet her and hear her moving story.
No comments:
Post a Comment