Mimi, over at Mimi Writes, has asked us to fly a peace globe in remembrance of 9/11 this Sunday. Mimi spearheads the annual Peace globe blogblast every November 4, participated in by peace-loving folks from all over the world. Each year it grows; we are starting the countdown now for this year's blogblast.
I remember 9/11. My daughter called me up and asked if my tv was on : "The States has gone crazy. They're flying planes into buildings down there. I was bed-bound that month, after a car accident. I grabbed the remote, turned on the tv and watched in horror all that long terrible day.
With a sinking in my heart, I knew there would be a war. I had predicted war, when Bush got elected, and now I knew it for sure. Between my horror and pain over what had happened, and my concern for what the response would be and whether it would escalate or detract from world peace, (I already knew the answer), it was a sickening feeling.
What struck me the most forcefully, of all the images we have seen over and over of that terrible day, were the young women dressed as angels, all in white, with wings, their calm smiling faces, their reassuring presence, as they walked among the people on the streets of New York, that day and the days that followed. A reassuring sight to lift the heart with hope, in the midst of despair and fear and hopelessness. To remind us that humans, while capable of terrible things, also are capable of transcending, elevating, choosing peace instead of more hate, more war, more oppression, more suffering. Capable of choosing light over darkness, in our response, when sometimes that is the only choice we have any control over.
I remember those angels, still.
[image by brucespeaks.com]
Hi Sherry... 9 / 11 was a tragedy. It changed all of our lives forever. But it was after 9/11 that D. decided to become a US citizen....and did. I just finished writing my Poets United 'windows' poem tonight, which also fits the 9/11 theme. May something so awful never happen again anywhere.......
ReplyDeleteWatching the events of 9/11 unfold before my eyes on the TV screen was my first real experience of horror. Many tragic and destructive moments in history have impacted on me, but I stood witness to evil on that day. The lesson I learned, however, is that human compassion goes further than evil deeds, and philanthropy is all that stands between us and chaos.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the post Sherry. I have nothing to add to 9-11 a day which holds our national horrors and memories. Perhaps one day, we can find meaning in the words "what we reap, we sow." Perhaps by accepting that we had a responsibility in 9-11, it didn't just happen, we can come to grips with it? I think this president has tried to take some responsibility for our actions in the world. I give him credit for this and so much more.... there I go, turning political... sorry
ReplyDeleteExcellent post, my wish is for peace in your time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, kids.And I love your comment, Annell. What I didn’t write here, out of respect for those who feel only outrage over 9/11, is how when that horrible day happened, I knew there was history behind it, something that wasn’t mentioned in the news back then. Then I read Arundhati Roy’s The Algebra of Infinite Justice which revealed the history so clearly in such a profound way. It expressed what I was feeling but didn’t know how to put into words.
ReplyDeleteI adore Barak Obama for his integrity and for raising the bar high in terms of the Presidency, especially as he is dealing with all the mess George Bush left behind – and that Barak will likely wear. He is such a good leader, so intelligent and he wears integrity the way other men wear jackets. I cried with joy and relief the night he got elected. I hope he gets a second term.
We are perhaps still too close. Seems we have a way of ignoring anything bad in which we might have had a hand, and have great skill in pointing our fingers at others. But I have a feeling that, as with so much else, History will write a different story after those who would deny and cast blame are no longer with us to do so.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember the angels, but I know they were there. Thanks for visiting my blogs today. Peace. = )
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