The Story I Can't Remember

Weekly wisdom to bring you home in 2 minutes.

A SHORT STORY

As we celebrate Memorial Day this week here in the United States, I'm thinking a lot about my Grandfather.

This past weekend, Anastasiia, her Mom, and I went to DC - a place where I spent much of my childhood. Memories of going to the Air Force base, summers in Alexandria, and my Grandparents' home came flooding back.

Ever since my father passed, I find myself trying to understand my Grandfather in an effort to grasp what was passed down to my Father and, as a result, to me.

The screenshot you see above is an image from his own 8mm film. I can't help but think of the man behind that camera, a soldier trying to understand Nazism in a time when it seemed the Earth itself was trying to swallow us.

When I was seven, he sat me down and told me about his experience liberating the concentration camp, Dachau. He told me he would only share this story once.

The thing is, I can't remember what he said.

My Grandfather had a way with words, so I wish he could write me a letter.

I would want to know his questions about humanity. I would ask him: What did liberating the concentration camps teach you? How do we keep ourselves from repeating it all again?

After experiencing such horror, what does it mean to be human?

As we honor those who were lost in service, I find myself wishing less for my Grandfather's answers and more for the chance to live inside those questions with him.

A POEM

“Pattern” by Garous Abdolmalekian

Your dress waving in the wind.
This
is the only flag I love.

Grateful,

Michael