[looooob]

Originally Posted by simmer2

I have a similar story that just goes to show what a simple act of kindness can do.

I was in Krakow, Poland and my buddy and I decided to go to Auschwitz, the concentration camp from WWII. It was a fairly long day with lots information and lots of emotion. People from all over the world were there to learn about the atrocities.

Anyways, it's about 4:30pm and my buddy had left to go back to the hostel early. I'm walking back towards the entrance along the railroad tracks (where they brought the trainloads of prisoners in) and see this elderly lady up ahead of me who was struggling with a heavy purse. She was probably 4'11, and the weight of her purse made her look like a human version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

I caught up to her and asked her if I could carry her purse. She was more than willing to give it to me, and so we started chatting. She asked me about where I was from, why I would come to a horrible place like Auschwitz. I then asked her why she was there, and she said "I was a prisoner here 60 years ago."

I wish I could have seen the look on my face. This elderly lady, 76 years old, was in the camp when she was 16. We started chatting, and for the next 1.5 hours, she gave me a tour of the camp. She shared stories, talked about the conditions, showed me where the children stayed, how they bribed the guards, snuck more food and clothing in, everything. It was an unbelievable experience.

To this day, I can envision nearly every single second of that 1.5 hours. All because I offered to carry a purse.

I'm not sure I could imagine a more powerful experience. wow