In quiet acknowledgment of today and the massive and painful significance of it, I’m hosting a giveaway. Leave a comment, any comment – silly, happy, thoughtful, or wiseass (we love wiseass! Or, even better, wiseacre!) – and you’ll be entered to win one of the following prizes:
An Eccolo leather journal from my favorite drool-worthy store, Ninth Moon.
A DVD of Oscar winning film Once, whose co-creator Glen Hansard was the source of the “Make Art, Make Art,” quote in the title.
A DVD of Bitchery favorite Strictly Ballroom because dancing is HAWT, yo.
Why the prize fiesta? Because we are alive and creating, and for that I am blissfully thankful.
Wearing a uniform, any uniform, does not automatically make a person an idiot.
No matter what anybody says.
I was in 4th grade when the towers hit. I’ll never forget…
Good idea for today, though, celebrating life.
When I was little my mom and her siblings used to talk about where she was when she heard JFK was dead. I believe it was an especially profound moment in their lives, we’re Boston Catholics, and they were so proud to have one of their own as president. They didn’t believe it had really happened until they came home and for the first time ever, saw their mother crying.
I didn’t think I’d ever have something as heartbreakingly memorable as that in my lifetime, but of course, we have. I was in college, heard it on my radio alarm clock. The DJ was upset and confused, but then she switched to a feed from CNN.
Best wishes to those who need it most today.
~~The story about Luther and the apple tree is great, but apparently only legend. 🙁 ~~
Well drat. If he didn’t say it, he *could* have! I guess I’ll settle for a legend. It’s a good thought-provoking story, regardless of its origination… and legends have to start from somewhere, eh?
I was watching the news tonight and was deeply touched as I watched 343 Denver Metro area firemen and women pay their respects to their brothers and sisters lost on 9-11. Each wore full firefighting gear, including hoses, axes, etc. Additionally, around their necks, each wore a badge with the name photo and fire company/station of one of the NYFD fallen. They climbed the stairs to the top of one of the tallest buildings downtown and held a memorial service on the roof. One man also carried his toddler son up the stairs with him, as a reminder to himself and others that there are scores of children who lost one or more parent that day. And they all intend to contact the families of the individuals whose name they wore and let them know that they will not be forgotten.
As the daugher of a fireman/cop, that was a visual that will stay with me.
Just to leave on a happy note, I will share with you my favorite joke, compliments of a Banana Laffy Taffy wrapper:
Why didn’t the lobsters share?
Because they’re shellfish.
::rimshot:: Ar, Ar.
Diane
Sorry this is late, I’m coming out of lurkdom to thank you all for reminding me what happened today.
This morning I woke up depressed and grouchy over my life and what has happened in the past year. I’m underemployed, trying to find a job in my field, dealing with some serious anxiety problems and am about to tell the man who I thought was my life partner that I can’t be with him romantically. I’ve moved back to an area I wanted to leave, almost all my friends have left this area for bigger and better things, and feel like giving up most days on these things called my dreams because I don’t think I can achieve them. Then I remembered what happened seven years ago today, and realized that things aren’t too bad.
I have my family, a roof over my head, food, enough money to cover my expenses, and a chance to pursue what I want in this life.
I have a few friends, I have a dog that lives here who is very loving, I have forests to walk in, and it’s raining (it’s been very dry here the past two months). I have a car that runs, my health, and at least the job I have can help with some of the bills. I even have the option to remain single for the rest of my life and not be stigmatized for it, or the option to find someone else.
I have the means and privileges to get help for my problems.
There are people who don’t even have one of these, so I am a very fortunate person. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that.
So today I finished working on my resume, bought some fabric for sewing a skirt, made a lovely dinner, and ate with my parents. After this I’m going to read. Nothing eventful, but steps in the right direction and things that remind me life can be good.
My keyword: where94. Well, I was in the car with my mom in 1994 when I heard Kurt Cobain died. When Challenger blew up I was at home sick from school. When 9/11 happened I was at my apartment, doing dishes and listening to Jeff Buckley. After the CD ended, I switched over to the classical radio station and they mentioned something about a terrorist attack. Turned on the TV just when they were replaying the plane hitting the first building. Then I took the bus up to my university and watched a guy my age help an old lady find her stop and pick up an empty pop bottle from the floor. The duality of his small acts of kindness and what was going on 2000 miles away really hit me, and it’s something I still marvel at, our species capacity to do such harm and to do such good.
(There, now I will shut up.)
I’m an hour and a half late, but I want to share my 9/11 story.
Seven years ago, I was a month shy of my twenty-first birthday and working in a gas station. I had the radio on and they mentioned that a plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers. The got their information screwed up because they were saying that it was a small Cessna type plane. A few minutes later they came back on and said that a second plane had crashed into the towers. They were joking and light about it, so I didn’t think it was as bad as it really was.
My first thought was “WTF? How can two people be that dumb on the same day.” I didn’t know the full story until a little later when a co-worker from a different station stopped by and filled us in. I couldn’t believe that it was happening. Then, when the plane hit the Pentagon, I remember the fear and uncertainty. I live only a couple of towns away from an air base and we’re between New York and Boston so people were scared that we might be hit next.
After work I had to go with my FIL to get a wheelchair for my grandmother that was being donated by his Masonic Lodge. I remember sitting in the car on the way to the Temple and praying that the attacks would end.
I didn’t cry that day or for a long time after, but now whenever I see or hear anything about the attacks, I tear up.
I don’t have a 9/11 story. I was stationed in Japan at the time, and they’re a day ahead, so it was 9/12 for us already. I got woken up at 3am with the info, which is what time it was in Japan when everything happened. I turned on CNN in time to see the second plane hit the building. I was in the military, and boy did they lock the base down *tight*.
One sad thing….overseas media doesn’t have some of the restrictions American media has. Japanese tv actually showed the people jumping out of the buildings, which is something that was never shown in America.
No wiseass comment from me, I haven’t had my first cup of coffee yet this morning.
I was home that afternoon (it was afternoon already over here in Finland), studying with the tv open for some music. I didn’t pay much attention to the tv, so I didn’t notice directly when the music stopped and they turned to emergency news. As soon as I noticed, I yelled for my roommate to come, and we sat there for hours watching the horror before our eyes.
I was in the process of planning to move to the UK 7 years ago. In fact, I had to finalise my plane ticket at the end of week after 9/11. I did go. We were 12 hours “ahead” in time, so it was happening at 8/9pm our time. I was watching Bring It On, of all things, when I was dragged upstairs (still living with my folks at that point) to be shown the tele. Hmm. I was a month shy of my 22 birthday.
I remember a midnight-ish phone call (in Sydney Australia) – my best friend – telling me to switch on the TV. I watched the first tower go down on replay, and I sleepily recall the shock and dismay on the newsreaders’ face as we watched the second tower go down, live. Shocking, horrible, devastating.
I’m no wordsmith, and I can’t think of anything moving (or prize-worthy) to convey the grief and impact of that day.
So, I have to borrow some words from Alexander Dumas –
“Until the day when God shall deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is summed up in these two words – wait and hope.”