We Remember...

Image via A Little Perspective.com

 

I remember where we were and exactly what we were doing when the towers came down. 

The sacrifices made by so many. So many lives lost. 

I'll never forget. We'll never forget.

Memorial Day 2023...

 

Sunday Scripture...

Jeremiah 32:17

 

A Year Ago Today...

Brynwood Needleworks - My Dad

 

He left us a year ago today. He didn't want to go, but damn cancer ravaged his body, and God called him home. Although it was twelve months ago, it hurts like it was yesterday. I miss him, and there are so many things I still want to ask him.

 

Dad was my childhood hero, and this is one of my favorite photographs of him. This is how I like to remember him...laughing and filled with joy.

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Reminders of Dad

 

Dad gave this monument to me many years ago. It's traveled more than 3000 miles since he gave it to me. He was a scuba diver and instructor (even owning a scuba shop when I was a kid), and this is a salvage piece from one of his dives. I knew the story decades ago, but asked Dad to retell how he brought this up from the bottom of a local lake in the months I spent with him before he passed. This is a reminder of a cherished memory.

The heart in front was a thoughtful gift from our neighbors, Andy and Shelly, after he passed. I don't leave it here year-round, but will bring it out for the summer months, especially when I have the flags displayed. Dad was a veteran, so I know he'd like the flags.

 

Brynwood Needleworks - I Miss Him

Independence Day (weekend) will always hold an added meaning for me. It will always be a time to celebrate the birth of our nation, but it will forever be a reminder to me of the death of my Dad. I know the tears will fade as years pass, but for now, it's still too fresh. I'll cry a little today, but not too much. He wouldn't want that.

So, I'll talk to him today, as I do every night before I close my eyes...and I'll take the time to remember the things I loved about him. I love you, Dad. Happy Independence Day.

Memorial Day 2021...

Memorial Day Image

 We Remember
 

Memorial Day Prayer by Helen Steiner Rice

 Amen

Eighteen Years Ago...

via foramerica.org

 

Remembering 9/11...

Brynwood Needleworks - We Remember 9.11.01

When we moved to Florida from Wisconsin, Handsome actually came ahead of me by about three months. He moved into our rental home in June, and I came with our belongings (and the moving van) in September - of 2001.

I arrived in a typical Florida downpour on Thursday, September 6th and the van arrived Friday, September 7th. I remember that we spent much of the weekend unpacking boxes - and eating dinners in local restaurants.

When the weekend was over, we continued unpacking and Tuesday, September 11th was no different. Both of us had our noses in boxes when the telephone rang.

It was our dear friend, David - the reason we moved to the Sarasota area - on the other end. He asked if we were watching the television, and we told him that we were busy unpacking boxes. In a grave voice, he told Handsome, "You'd better turn on the tv, boy. We're under attack."

Web Image

Stunned, we turned on the tube and watched in disbelief as the reporters looped the images of the plane slamming into the first tower. Handsome and I sat next to each other on our sofa, holding hands, and crying as we forgot about pulling our possessions out of boxes, and watching the horrific images that filled the airwaves.

Our nephew worked on camera as a reporter for Fox News on Shepherd Smith's team. We worried about his safety. We called Handsome's brother who is Erik's dad. As many were running away from the towers, Erik was heading toward them to cover the events of the day. He was all right.

My cousin lived in Manhattan, so I called my aunt to see if she'd heard anything. We waited, worried, until we got an update from her much later that day.

We called family in Wisconsin and hearing their voices on the telephone somehow made us feel closer and more secure. 

Web Image

Every year, we relive the sadness, uncertainty and shared fear of that day. We think about how everyone treated strangers a little differently for weeks and months after that. We weren't in quite the hurry to go about our lives, isolated from each other. People were kinder. We made eye contact and smiled at each other. We came together as Americans against a common enemy.

As we remember the day America was attacked, perhaps we'll also remember to behave the way we did back then. We'll take time to contemplate who and what really matters. Rather than magnify our differences, we can come together in the spirit of patriotism and love (or at least tolerance) for our fellow man.

Perhaps we can stand united to honor all the lives that were lost that awful day.

God Bless America • We Will Never Forget

We Will Never Forget...

Image from dc.metblogs.com

Image from angela-cunningham.com

See the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPHnadJ-0hE

Sunday Scripture - Remembrance...

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father 

will send in my name, he will teach you all things and 

bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."

                                                               - John 14:26

We Will Never Forget...

The World Trade Center circa 1999 AP photo
Taken before September 11, 2001. The day that changed everything.
I remember exactly where I was when it happened. Everyone does.
None of us will ever forget. We shouldn't. We can't. We won't.
Take a moment today to reflect and
know that we are truly blessed to live in this great country.
God Bless America