A few weeks ago I had one of the most significant events of this year in my personal life take place. And what made it so special was the fact that I honestly didn't really plan on it happening; it just did.

I've been going to the same eye doctor's office since I was two months old and one of the orthoptists who works there, named Mrs. Paula, has been working with me for as long as I can recall. As of rather recent (i.e. about three years ago) I've taken up an interest in the Holocaust time period of world history and thus began a mission to educate others and keep the stories alive from this time as so many of those who lived through it are now sadly passing away.

Back to my friend Mrs. Paula: she is amazing. She's this extremely kind and classy lady with a touch of sass and a love of Harry Potter but there's so much more to her than that I admire. Through the years of talking to her, especially recently, I realized she also understands the need to preserve the history of her people especially in an age that refuses to listen. This latter quality in her inspired me to finally give up one of the most prized possessions I've ever had.

I am not one of the Chosen People, but in the years I've been immersed in Holocaust studies I have worn a Star of David around my neck that I got at a museum I volunteered at. I wore it with pride and not caring what others thought because I knew it had some significance to me and that was what mattered. Until recently I had planned to keep that necklace until I could one day give it to my daughter, who is to be named Schindler after Oskar Schindler (if she ever exists), but as I thought about Mrs. Paula more my mind changed about the fate of that Star because I knew it needed to go to someone who would absolutely appreciate it as much as I did.

I do what I do for the Chosen People who inspire me like Mrs. Paula, or my best friend Amanda, or for others who have told me that they could not do it themselves due to the undeniable emotional heaviness of the subject. But I also think another reason I chose this was because of the deep connections it has allowed me to have with others who understand that in a world spiraling down that we cannot let this happen again.

I once met someone who told me of a trip to Auschwitz he had made in his life to remember his relatives who had died there unjustly. I once met a survivor of Auschwitz who survived merely because she still looked healthy enough for work. I've spoken to a survivor of medical experiments via email.

These are the people I do this for; not for me but for them.

This past week I was approached about consulting on resources for a Holocaust memorial garden here in Georgia and it reminded me of all the good this project could do. There will come a time when all the survivors have gone when the Holocaust is erased from school curriculum, but it is my hope that the second will not happen because there will always be someone unwilling to let the world forget.

And if for now, that's what I'm being called to do with my life, then I will be a voice for remembering.

I will tell the stories for the six million who never got to tell theirs.