Field trip

I miss blogging!  I do.  I struggle with perfectionism and what to say, but I miss just doing it.  So I'm going to attempt this again. 

Today we went to the Holocaust Museum in DC.  The electric company said that our power would be out for much of the day, and Peter and I are studying World War II, so it seemed like a good day to go.  I was a little hesitant about going with Peter.  He doesn't like violence of any sort.  He's very sensitive to movies and television.  He will leave if things get too violent (and it's not like we watch those kinds of movies anyway!)  But this is a lesson we need to learn over and over again to prevent this kind of barbarism from repeating itself.   Ben decided to go too and miss a day of school.  Big shock, I know.  But they did just finish reading Night by Elie Wiesel, about his time in a concentration camp.  This relates.  Chris came with us too since he wouldn't be able to work with the power out. 

I have to say they did very well in the museum.  It's not a place that will restore your soul or bring you joy.  The images are surreal.  To watch Hitler's rise to power because of fear and hatred and violence is frightening.  It's hard to even imagine that there are people in the world capable of such evils, but in reality there are.  How does a society let something like this happen?  And how do you move on from that experience?  So many people just ripped from their homes and subjected to the worst horrors that one can imagine.  Babies, children, moms, grandmas--all of them annihilated because someone thought they weren't worthy of life.  I was intrigued by a book called How do you Kill Eleven Million People? by Andy Andrews.  That question is playing in my mind.  What role do I play?  How do I live to make a difference for good in the world?  Could it happen again?  Is it already happening today in the world?  The boys may not remember much about today next year or even next week, but I pray that they will be moved with compassion for those who are oppressed.