Tomaszow Lubelski, Poland…today we embarked on a second day in the pursuit of putting the puzzle pieces of my ancestry together.

A thorough cemetery tour spent most of the day and central to the quest is my grandfather’s grave. His tragic death resulted in my father’s family exile to the work camps of Germany. It was an important responsibility for my sister and I as we are the only direct descendants to visit his grave. My fathers bad memories have prevented his pilgrimage back to Poland and he has never seen the grave in person!

We visited amazing old cemeteries dotted with many relatives dating back a hundred years and eventually we came upon my grandfathers grave. This is LEGEND in my family. This is like visiting the Metzger Holy Grail!

Not only was this symbolic for us but a very emotional moment for my father back in Chicago. We came here as his emissary to pay respect!

We were standing over his gray concrete grave site and it all felt surreal! I swept his grave and my sister laid a floral arrangement. We lit a candle and a lifetime of hearing stories raced through my head as we absorbed the moment in silence.

Many people take for granted that they grew up with family albums, family cemeteries, and family memorabilia that all tell a story of their history. I have never experienced this and to stroll through a cemetery filled with my entire ancestry is truly one of a kind! It wasn’t until we drove back and reflected on the magnitude of the day that my sister had a complete breakdown and I teared up all over this blog.

Everyone has a history and a story to tell, mine just got a bit clearer!