Tonight's picture was taken in May of 2009. Though I typically try to post photos depicting the season we are in, I selected this photo this evening because Mattie was holding an American flag. Mattie died three days before the anniversary of September 11th. In so many ways this week carries so much sadness. It is a reminder of a personal loss of Mattie and a national tragedy. On September 11, 2011, I was pregnant with Mattie. About two months to be exact! It is a period of time I will never forget.... it was a happy time to be pregnant and yet I was extremely scared living in Washington, DC, so close to the Pentagon and seeing and hearing about such devastation.
Quote of the day: I know. You can be fine, and then, out of nowhere, a memory blindsides you. ~ Lisa Schroeder
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week tradition! This is a new tie he added to the collection. If you look closely the pattern is of beach chairs! I told Tim he now needs some sand, a tropical drink, and an umbrella! Mattie would have loved the whimsy of this tie! It is a very special surprise each morning to receive these emails and to wonder which tie Tim is going to surprise me with. It definitely has become one of the things I look forward to receiving and these emails help me cope with Mattie's anniversary each year.
Not unlike Mattie's anniversary, I found that many of the people around me today also did not TALK ABOUT the anniversary of 9/11! This to me is quite fascinating considering that we live so close to the Pentagon. Again I do not know if this happens because of the lapse of TIME and people forget, or that people want to forget because we can't handle focusing on such devastation on our own land, or what exactly?! Either case, 13 years later, this is still our reality. It did happen and innocent people lost their lives and families were torn apart as a result. I included photos from each of the three sites impacted by the flights that went down that day and of course in two out of the three crash sites, memorials have already been built. In Shanksville, PA a site is still under construction.
The Shanksville video (in the link below) is worth watching. Also the NY Times article I included below, though long, I think it is worth reading. It tells you about the 9/11 memorial and Museum that opened up in May of this year. This Museum sounds like a very challenging thing to maneuver through because it isn't just a place to reflect on the tragedy and loss, it is almost like a journey through the artifacts of some of the victims, seeing actual items, hearing tapes, recordings, and basically the exhibits make it as vivid as possible for the viewer. I think if you are sensitive in any sort of way, impacted by grief, a trauma survivor, and the list goes on, there should be warning signs all over this exhibit. Because I am not sure I could handle this exhibit myself, just going down into the depths of this structure could potentially do me in, forget about the nature and content of what is being presented. In any case, I think each web link below is worth looking at because like all aspects of grief and loss..... it is about remembering NEVER about forgetting.
At the Pentagon:
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Remembrance-Ceremonies-Held-Across-DC-Area-274722721.html
Flight 93: National Memorial: http://www.honorflight93.org/memorial/
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