05/08/2025
8 May, 1945
Dear Diary,
We heard the church bells first—ringing loud and wild like they had a life of their own. Then came the shouting. People in the street, hugging, laughing, crying. “It’s over!” someone screamed. I didn’t believe it until the wireless confirmed it. Germany has surrendered. The war in Europe is finally, finally, over.
There were crowds in the village center, in the streets, on rooftops. A sea of hats, handkerchiefs, lipstick smiles. We joined hands with strangers and sang until our voices cracked. I saw a woman kneel in the middle of the street and sob. No one stopped her.
The pubs ran out of beer by midday, and someone passed me a lukewarm cup of tea and said, “To peace.” I drank it like champagne.
I tucked Thomas in tonight with his windows wide open No blackout curtains. For the first time in what feels like a lifetime, we let the moonlight in. I think to myself, “We did it. We survived. We didn’t give into the terror, the fear, the unknowns.”
I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but tonight—tonight we breathe freely.
