I have no intention of being funny today nor will I attempt to explain or understand the horror of the events of a decade ago. I am visibly shivering as I listen to the names of those who died so needlessly; at the podiums in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, the children who have grown tall and strong, the widows that look older than their years, the siblings, the parents, the co-workers - each one still wearing the scars of that day. Since that morning, etched so deeply in all our memories, I have felt a bit of a kindred spirit with those who live with the pain of that Tuesday. I too, have woken up on what I thought was a crisp, blue skied fall morning, only to have my entire life change without warning hours later. No matter how many times you wake up after that, there is an instant, when you hope it was just a bad dream.
So I'll sign off for now, because there is no more to say. I will go to the JCC and light a yahrtzeit candle in memory of all those who didn't get a chance to finish living and pray for the family and friends who go on bravely without them. I hope we all take some time today to remember the past, to be thankful for the present, and to be hopeful for the future; to contemplate that our world can turn upside down at any moment; don't leave anything unsaid.
"So many names, there is barely room on the walls of the heart." -- Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins.
Excerpt from, "The Names. “ A poem dedicated to the victims of September 11 and to their survivors.
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