A memory

My mother-in-law has a knack for finding great blogs. I think a lot of it is the fact that her writing just draws people in, so really cool folks drift her way. Occasionally, I browse through her blog roll to see who's who and visit those that look interesting. Greenish Lady caught my eye today, and she has posted about a cool project that a homeschooling mom has created to teach her children about the Holocaust. You can read about it here.

Her blog reminded me of a memorable encounter I had once, the fall after I got married. I was working at a restaurant that was right off an interstate exit, so we got travelers from all over! A lot of our visitors were older couples who were heading to Florida, either for a vacation or relocating.

One day, a sweet elderly lady and gentleman came in and ordered two buffet dinners. As he reached into his wallet to pay, I saw it - the identification tattoo on the inside of his lower arm. Without really thinking, I said "you're a survivor", and he looked back up at me. At first I wasn't sure if he heard me, or if I even should have said anything. But he said "you know, many people don't even know what that is from. Yes, I am a lucky one. I didn't get sent to the camp until right before they were liberated."

I showed him the gold-colored aluminum bracelet in my purse that had a name of a child who died at Auschwitz. Each cast member was given one when I performed in a play about the Holocaust, so that we could remember we portrayed real people, and take a moment to reflect on the tragedy of that time. It had been carried around in my purse for over two years.

They ate and paid and went on their way. I hope they found sunshine and happiness wherever they were headed, and I am thankful that I got to meet them.