The Birth of war

­­­­­­­­It was September 1^st 1939 when WWII was declared. We had big plans for that day. It seemed it was the perfect day. Something was going to happen. I knew there was never a perfect day on earth.

Everyone rushed to Papa’s side. The heading in the newspaper brought a lump to my throat. War! It was inevitable and we all knew it was coming. But for some reason none of us could fathom it when it finally came. We knew that things would change drastically and it would take a long time to get used to it. Papa rose from his chair and paced the room. Mama looked away and there was a foreboding silence. I looked at my oldest brother. He smiled at me and then turned away.

After two months of nothing but sighs when the paper came, and rationed food we knew that this would scar us forever.  We kept hearing reports of how many had died fighting for peace and liberty. Then it came one dark and rainy day. The news that Mr. Miller had died last night. He was the neighbor that always helped Papa when we needed an extra hand around the place. His daughter and I were friends and had always been together. Now whenever we were together the conversation always came back to her father. I knew that was how it would always be. That scar would never heal for her.  Anguished thoughts raced in my mind. Would it ever be the same again? Why did we have to fight? All it did to us was make us a depressed people. It never seemed to help.  I had always wished for peace in the land and I knew this was not the way to do it. How could people think that fighting would win them peace? It was this endless race to victory that brought nothing but fresh flowers on gravestones.   These thoughts raged in my mind for months and only got stronger the more people died.

Then while we were sitting at the table one morning my oldest brother announced that he wanted to serve in the army. I had heard of so many other boys joining the army but I had never considered my own brother joining! My own brother. We had grown up together and I had never known life without him. It would be so lonely. I knew that I would eventually get used to it but it would always be hard for all of us. We didn’t know the trials ahead of us, the mountains that stood in front of us.  But we would get over them and meet at last somewhere where war was unheard of and sadness is behind us. This would not last forever. But the sadness! It overwhelmed me to think of those long months without him. I think we all shared in that sadness. And I wished the days would never end. But the day drew near and I knew that I wouldn’t be long before we woke and found he was not with us. The war had and would continue to bring us many bitter experiences and it would either weaken us or grow us stronger. But I knew there would be many sacrifices and disappointments to this. But we would make it. And it made Heaven all the better… Heaven… Oh Glory!                                           The End