Struthof was the only concentration camp the Nazis operated on French soil and remains a solemn reminder of the Holocaust and its brutal insanity.
As we walked the camp, I could not help noticing the trees lining the paths. These were trees of old - I could tell because the bark has formed over the rusty barbed wire that ran through them. Almost immediately, I was caught by the power of this haunting image.
We are like trees, and the barbed wires are the hurts inflicted on us over time. From time to time, some barbs hurt us really deep, and eat into us. They not only leave their mark, but literally become part of us.
Often, we gloss over these barbs, rationalizing that "it's no big deal", and as time passes, we begin to heal, and get over these unpleasant moments of our lives. The wounds, the pain, the rust, the unforgiveness are all swept under. We appear to have healed - new bark has grown over where the puncture was. On the surface, everything looks fine - but the reality is that, the barb is now inside us.
Should anyone tug the barbed wire (whether intentionally or unintentionally), they pull at the barb within us, and the pain becomes excruciating. If any one attempts to pull the wire out, it will destroy a good part of ourselves. All the bark that had grown over would be torn open again. The clean-up will be messy.
It is certainly easier to have treated the wound years ago when it was yet fresh. The longer we leave it, the more difficult it is to be completely healed. If any one needs to be forgiven, forgive them today.
