America can turn the worst of tragedies into a booming business. I'll admit, at first, this bothered me. This was the site of a horrific human tragedy, a veritable blood bath of neighbor vs. neighbor- sometimes brother vs. brother. If you pause a minute and think of the numbers-  over 50,000 souls lost in a three day battle. 

50,000.

Those sort of numbers are difficult to grasp. The testimonies of the townspeople spoke louder than the statistic:

Hardly a field in the area without a dead body. Even their homes and streets were part of the battlefield.

Twelve dead soldiers to every one resident of the little town of Gettysburg. 

The smell of death in the heat of an Eastern July was noxious and sickening. 

There weren't any dogs left in the town. All the canines fled- hopefully to safety.

But there, in the midst of the tales of horror, were these facts:

Within twenty-four hours of the assault, the people of Gettysburg were at work burying the dead, marking the graves thoughtfully, mindful that each of the fallen had family who would want to find their loved one's resting place. Every soldier found was hastily buried in his own grave, with his name penciled onto a cross.

Immediately, there was a movement to create a final resting place worthy of the fallen. 

Four months later, the Soldier's National Cemetery was being filled. During its dedication, President Abraham Lincoln took the stage at the site- though ironically, not as the key note speaker- to deliver the Gettysburg Address. 

A century later, Gettysburg is a tourist spot with museums, tours, and souvenirs. 

And I decided that is all right. It is in our nature to heal. Looking down from Cemetery Ridge, where the final and bloodiest day of fighting occurred, there are now monuments, not scars. Mother nature forgot. There is nothing but rolling hills of green. No ruts from cannon brigades or worn out grass from the trample of boots. 

And perhaps that is the lesson. 

We aren't meant to mourn forever. Healing is natural. 

Maybe it's all right that a place of tragedy is criss-crossed with tour buses and camera wielding tourists. At least they are there. Listening. Learning. Ensuring the lives lost aren't completely forgotten as time ticks on. 

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Speaking of ghosts, history and moving on...

The Bella's Point Challenge continues!

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