I fought tears the entire time we stood on Omaha Beach. It was windy and gray…perfect really if you thank about it.
I wished it was sunny so that I could put on my big, dark sunglasses and hide the fact that my eyes just wouldn’t stop brimming with tears.
The girls seemed like they weren’t really listening to our tour guide, they made sandcastles and watched the water. They let us listen and think. The tour guide’s words washed over me like the waves on the shore.
More than 2500 Americans died here on D-Day.
10,000 Allied casualties on D-day.
The tide would wash the men’s bodies in and then wash them back out.
Many of these men never had any battle training at all.
And all of the hair on my arms stood on end. My heart broke a little bit.
It was a tricky situation- I wanted the girls to understand the importance of this place. The sacrifice that was made and the lives that were lost.
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
But I didn’t want to scare them too much….because, you see, their daddy goes away a lot to do scary things.
After we finished with the tour guide, we had a bit of free time to just walk and think.
The girls and I walked up the hill and looked out over the beach. They were uncharacteristically quiet and somber…they could feel the mood of the moment even if they didn’t know why.
I heard Sadie’s quiet voice say “Mama?”
“Yes?”
Pause
“All of these families? They were waiting for their daddies to come home just like we were.”
She got it. She put into words what I couldn’t quite express.
It was a moment I’ll never forget.
That gave me chills. Out of the mouth of Babes.
Thank you for the reminder.
Beautiful and so touching
bless you all. xoxo
thank for sharing. hugs all!
Oh, I love that Sadie girl.
What a wonderful yet piercing experience to have. The feelings can be so overwhelming. We recently went through the America At War gallery in the Smithsonian this past summer with our girls, trying to balance the importance of it without scaring them. But there I was walking around the whole time with eyes brimming with tears.
That’s beautiful.
No doubt that finished you off. I would have been in tears too. Such sacrifice. CJ xx
I got chills reading this. Thank you for sharing this story and for your family’s service!
That was a beautiful post. My husband’s uncle stormed Normandy and lived to tell about it. He has since passed away but every time he talked about it, his eyes would fill with tears.
That girl….all of your girls…amaze me. 🙂 xo
Oh man. Sadie made me catch my breath. In tears.
Oh my was all I could think….I am also feeling somber and quiet and I wasn’t even there. I so wish there wasn’t any need for war ever!
You get it…they get it!! Thanks for sharing with us.
Whoa………….her heart knows……..bless you all!
Never forget. Precious Sadie.
Oh, Stephanie…..I know I’ll never be brave enough to visit but I’m shocked in to deep sadness every time I think of this place.
I love that she totally got it.
wow Steph. Just got goose bumps reading the end of your post. You have raised your girls right.
When I started reading this the bagpipes sounded Amazing Grace on my headset – I could’t stop the tears. History is my passion and sometimes it’s too damn sad.
Simply beautiful moment…..thank you for sharing! We are headed there in September to stand in Sadie’s shoes overlooking the beach and contemplate the great sacrifices these men made so we can enjoy the freedoms we do. Thank you!
Oh, she got it. She completely got it and gave me chills.
wow!
Wow.