Happy Thanksgiving!

I will rewind back to where I left off after this one post... I just wanted to take a moment to reflect upon our last stop of the morning of Thanksgiving Day...Omaha Beach...

 

... There really aren't words for what I am feeling... From the moment I saw the sign from our bus, I felt a sense of sorrow and grief envelope me... I have always felt a tremendous sadness in hearing and seeing the losses of WWII, as with other wars, but experiencing it in person was almost too much... 

As I walked through the information area I saw the screens where I could find Uncle Jack's burial plot... I typed his name in and there it was... 

 

... I made my way to the cemetery along the road on the edge of the beach, I began to think more deeply about all of men and women who lost their lives there... I wanted to be alone in my sadness but asked a few friends to join me simply to take pictures, though i was even uncomfortable doing that as everything in my being needed to withdraw and contemplate on what I was in the midst of... 

... then I rounded the corner to see row after row after row of the white crosses and stars of David marking the graves of our soldiers, 9,387 in total... My heart ached as I wept for those who had sacrificed their lives, as well as for the families that were forever touched by this tragedy, including our own...

 

Through my tears and sadness I couldn't suppress the overwhelming mix of emotions that I was feeling as  I walked in the wet grass to find Jack's grave... The last section of the cemetery... second to last row and second to last from the end... 

There it was. I stood just staring at it and although I never knew Jack, I felt as if I did... I found myself thinking as a mother, wife, sister, child... and of my own son and what a devastating loss it must have been... 

... I wept for Jack, for my mother in law, for all of the family... And looked across the cemetery as it seemed to go on forever... 

The rest of our group joined me after a few minutes to give me flowers and offer their thanks for the sacrifice of our family and I wanted to share that with you... that was difficult for me as I never imagined that I would be as overcome as I was with the need to experience this in my own way and alone...the sadness, grief, and pain. 

 

I walked away then and began to make my way to our meeting place... as I did I found myself lost in my thoughts as images replayed over and over in my head... images of the day as well as from films I have seen and stories I have heard and read...

On this day of thanksgiving I have a lot to be thankful for, but I can't help but be especially thankful for the men and women who have lost their lives defending our freedom throughout history, to their families, and to those who continue to protect the freedoms of our country.