Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Tonight's picture was taken on the first day of school in September of 2007. Mattie entered kindergarten that year and was beginning a new school. Back then I thought it was earth shattering that Mattie graduated from preschool and had to start again at a brand new school. When I look back at these normal developmental worries, it is almost laughable. When I took that photo in 2007, I thought there would be many subsequent first days of school to come. Just like any parent! In fact, while Mattie was in kindergarten, I even bought a picture frame that had a slot for a school year photo for each year Mattie would have been in elementary school. Needless to say that frame was NEVER used. I can't be the only parent who buys such a frame, but I am definitely a person who learned the hard way about the sadness that can arise when you plan too far in advance.


Quote of the day: Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children. ~ President George W. Bush


As our former president indicated, tragedies such as September 11th are not to be forgotten. Certainly there are a host of political statements and even undertones of cultural tensions that could be discussed regarding the aftermath of this tragedy, however, from my perspective such commentary doesn't have a home on Mattie's blog. Instead, when I reflect on September 11, I immediately am drawn to the number of lives lost, the number of families torn apart and forever changed, and I also reflect on how such terror (which took place on our home soil) has changed the way we live our lives, our freedoms, and our overall sense of security.

When I woke up this morning and looked outside our bedroom window, I could see flags all over DC at half mast. Just like it was 12 years ago, it was a sunny day in DC, with not a cloud in the sky. Yet no matter the amount of time that goes by, I can always recall where I was on September 11, 2001. At that point I was two months pregnant with Mattie, Peter was working in Northern Virginia, and I honestly did not know what was going on, if we were safe, or if Peter was going to be able to drive from Virginia back into DC. The visions of what I was seeing on TV seemed too horrific to even imagine and the fact that people had to jump out of the twin tower buildings to their death still leaves me speechless. It takes your breath away. The horror can send your mind into overdrive and yet today as I was listening to the radio and could hear the chimes that rang at the 9/11 memorial in NYC (as names of victims were read), it brought me back in time.

As I was driving to Northern Virginia today, and had to cross Memorial Bridge, I was stunned by my sighting. I did not take this photo, I downloaded it, but in essence I saw 100s of motorcyclists traversing over the bridge into the city. In a way it seemed like it was Memorial Day weekend with Rolling Thunder passing through. I must admit I was disoriented at first, but then quickly deduced this must be in support of the victims of September 11. What I appreciated about this was the instant visual, the visual of NEVER FORGET! Certainly it would be easier to bury the reality somewhere out of fear, but losing a family member, friend, or any member of our community is NEVER about forgetting. It is always about remembering.

I have been looking at all the commentary on the Internet today regarding this 12th anniversary and came across an article entitled, Social Media on September 11: Should companies observe the anniversary? We live in a world of instant information, the sharing of every thought and feeling, and where Facebook and Twitter guide our knowledge and sway our decisions. Which is a scary notion in and of itself. Yet look at these advertisements.................. Someone may have to explain to me why it is deemed insulting for a LA Laker basketball player to tweet "NEVER FORGET." This leaves me perplexed, whereas the tasteless ad by Esquire magazine is down right insulting and the apology is even more disgraceful than the ad itself. If that were at all possible. But it doesn't end there. The Marriott was giving away muffins today during the 30 minute time frame when the planes hit the twin towers in 2001. This is an anniversary of a very solemn day, and when I heard about the distribution of muffins, it reminded me of someone's birthday where you get a free treat in celebration. The muffin ad was disturbing but it had competition with the golf course offering reduced greens fees today to commemorate the day! I find all of this offensive to capitalize on a National tragedy and I can only imagine how disgusted those directly impacted by 9/11 feel.

Social Media on September 11: Should companies observe the anniversary?
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/sep/11/september-11-anniversary-social-media

Peter flew home today from Louisiana. I wasn't thrilled with the date of his flight. In fact, at one point I wanted to tell him to come home on September 12. But then I stopped myself because living one's life in fear isn't healthy either. I have plenty of my own fears from cancer and I sometimes need to keep them in check. However, over dinner tonight, Peter asked me whether I was concerned about him flying home today. Now that he was safely on the ground, I said YES! While we were eating dinner outside, yes in the 90+ degree, high humidity (which I love!), I spotted this green friend. This grasshopper is thrilled to be on our patio and I know Mattie and Patches would have relished in this sight. Mattie would have been intrigued and Patches would have tried to capture it and eat it!

I end tonight's posting with a photo of Tim's orange tie. This is DAY THREE of the orange tie campaign, in honor of Mattie.