We Remember

I'm not having a particularly good morning.

I lost most of yesterday to a particularly vicious migraine, brought about (no doubt) by the combined forces of Fall arriving with a bang and sending my older daughter off the Middle School. I got nothing done yesterday, except a really long cuddle with Edward. I haven't mailed the relish packages yet.

It's raining and cool and very windy. Our recycling spilled everywhere and in the midst of dashing kids to school at different times to different schools, I had to find a second to clean it up. In the rain. And the wind.

I'm still wearing two different sneakers. I still have a headache. I have that unsettled feeling that comes when you didn't get to spend the quality time you crave with your loved ones.

And then, you know, I remembered.

I remembered that thousands of people had the worst day of their lives on this day in 2001 --a bad morning that will never stop. Thousands of kids lost one or both parents. Hundreds of communities lost some of their finest public servants.

For them, there is no Edward kitty who will make everything all better. There are wounds that even time cannot heal.

Hug your babies (furry and otherwise) if you've got them.

And never forget.

Comments

Tenna Draper said…
Sorry to hear you're feeling poorly. I just got out of surgery two days ago, and I'm still sore--doing a lot of sleeping and such.

I noticed before 9-11 that there was a goodly # of tv stations re-airing 9-11, and interviews with the surviving families. I almost wish that the press and television would STOP BOTHERING THESE PEOPLE and LET THEM MOURN THIER LOSS! I feel the same way about Michael Jackson and Elvis.

This is not to say "forget it happened". I try to go on with my days as planned without thinking of 9-11 every time I get on an elevator with a group of Middle Eastern men. Some days it's more difficult than others. There are so many of them, and they chatter on the elevator in their native tongue and I wonder if they are conspiring--all of our computer systems are being built by these men, and well, if that doesn't concern anyone but me, then SOMEBODY is pretending to be an ostrich. All it would take is one bad apple and a little bit of code hidden, and our entire country will be at the hands of the Middle Eastern block. I wonder if anyone else thinks about these things...
Tiffany said…
It's so interesting how different perspectives are...perhaps this explains some of the reason that we haven't been able to maintain that sense of community and mutual support that most of us experienced right after 9/11.

For example, I have to say that in eight years I've NEVER been in a situation where I encountered a Middle Eastern man (or group of them) and though "Aaaaahhhh! What if they're planning to kill us all????"

Just another sad result of a tragic day, the increase in divisions and racist assumptions and prejudice. Such a shame that the ill effects like this linger while the positive ones fade, and what made us all better people in the moment makes so many of us worse ones in the end.
Rohit said…
"And never forget" - words that have a lot of meaning in this context.

God bless this world.
Unknown said…
thanks for the reminder. Kiss your babies for me too.
MadMad said…
I was reading an article today in the paper about how teachers are having to change their curriculum because they are getting to the point where they are getting children who don't actually remember the day any more. (Or never did, I suppose; they were just too young when it happened.) I just couldn't believe it was 8 years ago. Seems like yesterday.
Anonymous said…
So here's the thing. Living in NY all my life and having had a few people in my family working in those towers that day, I will not and cannot ever forget. I thank the Lord that my family made it out ok. Letting my husband out the door the next day for his daily journey back into the city to work was very, very hard. However, not doing so would have been letting them win. Worrying about what is going to happen, or what every Middle Eastern man, or woman for that matter, is doing or going to do would not only be letting them win, but very, very prejudiced and against all that I believe in. Let us not forget some of the other tragedys that have befell this country, not the least of which was the Oklahoma City bombing. That was "one of our own". While not on the same scale, it was horrific and many lost their lives. What concerns me more about these computers and things being manufactured in these countries is that it is taking precious jobs away from people in our own country, many of whom are struggling pretty badly right now. For that we have to hold the computer companies responsible, not the middle easterners.

9-11 had another story for me as well. It was my sons first day of preschool. A tough day for a mom to begin with, but a proud one. Dropping them off, mostly with tears. Watching the baby who you had just given birth to the day before, suddenly a preschooler?!? A milestone day.

So what do I say about what happened on 9-11....it was HORRIBLE, it should never have happened, but it did. I will NEVER forget those who died or stop appreciating the many people who lost their lives trying to save others. I will never forget those who didn't die trying to help or otherwise, many of whom are struggling now. But please, don't let them win. Trust that your "God" whoever that may be will watch over you and your loved ones, and live your lives.

As for the families of 9-11, some of them need this coverage to know that people will NOT forget, and those that don't, they turn off their TVs and don't do the interviews.
Tiffany said…
On a side note, my own personal little thank you to you, Barb, for being the flipside to all the darkness of this day.

http://tiffanytalks.blogspot.com/2009/09/im-not-really-type-to-write-blog-post.html
kim said…
So true. And I can so relate to the migraine thing. In fact, I woke up this morning feeling one coming on. And here I thought we would make it to Brimfield today. UGH.
After 9/11, I was so proud of the company I worked for and wrote code for. Even after that horrific day, it never occurred to us to think that the Egyptian chap and the Pakistani chap on our team were anything but another couple of coders, as horrified as we were by what had happened. 9/11 teaches us that bad guys sometimes have good days: read too much into that fact and you'll go crazy.