Remembering September 11th . . .

* I originally posted this on September 11th, 2015.  I've only changed a few things to update it.  xo



On September 11th, 2001, I was seven months pregnant with my son Brendan.  I remember walking my two older sons to school that day, looking up at the sky and thinking it was one of the most beautiful late summer mornings I had ever seen.  The sky was a brilliant shade of blue and there was not a cloud to be seen.  I walked back up the path and into the house and turned on the television to see what was going on in the world while I ate some breakfast.  My local news channel was showing a video of a plane crashing into one of the Twin Towers. This was the first glimpse I got of what would turn out to be one of the saddest days in American history.  I called my neighbor whose husband was a police officer in the city to see if she knew anything about what was going on.  As I sat on the stairs leading up to the second floor, staring at the television and talking on the phone I watched as another plane slammed into another tower.  At first I thought it was just another video of the first plane until I heard the news reporters and my friend screaming that it was another plane. 

In all honesty, it didn't even occur to me at first that there were people in the building and emergency services workers there as well.  I think I was just trying to wrap my brain around what I had just seen.  Something that was taking place just 20 miles from where I live.

The photo above is a very special one to so many people.  The man on the left is my uncle Harry.  He was attending a funeral that day and wasn't there when the towers fell but when he found out what had happened he drove there immediately and was down "on the pile" looking for survivors for weeks.  My uncle was a member of FDNY for more than 35 years.  One of the people he was looking for was the young man on the right.  His name was Welles Crowther.  You may have heard of him as "The Man in the Red Bandanna."  If you haven't, you can read about him here .  He is a true hero in every sense of the word and I was blessed to have known him from the time he was a young boy.  If you look at the background of the photo, you can see the Twin Towers.  Welles worked in Tower 2 and was also a volunteer firefighter in our home town.  Helping people was in his blood.  My uncle was very close with Welles' parents and would stop by their house on his way home from Ground Zero and give them an update at the end of every shift.  Welles' body was eventually found in the lobby of Tower 2 with many other members of FDNY where they had set up a central command station.  My uncle Harry passed five years ago due to 9/11 related health complications.  His lungs were ruined by all of the dust and everything else that they were breathing in all of those months.  He is just one of many people who have succumbed to 9/11 related diseases.

Plaques dedicated to my uncle Harry and Welles outside of the fire house in Upper Nyack, NY where they both volunteered.

The Freedom Tower while it was still being built.

A couple of years ago we visited the 9/11 Memorial and the Freedom Tower while it was still under construction.  From the time you step off of the subway and walk up the stairs to its location you can sense that it is a sacred place.  The air seems different, the sky seems different and people seem different.  Everyone that visits there has there own personal reason for taking the journey there and whether or not you knew someone that died that day doesn't matter.  It will still touch you to your soul.

I was pregnant with this guy on 9/11/01.  : )

It has been 16 years and the sadness still sits right up at the surface on this day and so many other days.  When I see Welles' parents and sisters and my aunt and cousins I still could cry a river for them all.  When I see family members reading off the names of the victims on the television every September 11th I want to give them each a hug.  Name upon name.  Face upon face.  All of them, innocent victims of a senseless tragedy. 

This year I chose not to watch the reading of the names but instead made a conscious effort to commit as many "random acts of kindness" as I could.  I believe that kindness is contagious and motivates people to be a bit kinder to the next person and the world certainly could use as much kindness as we can conjure up. 

Lest we forget.


Many blessings ~ Wendy  xo

Random Thoughts and Photos . . .

I recently turned fifty.  My oldest son will be the age I was when I had him in November.  Some days it makes me shake my head in disbelief but most days it makes me smile.  I hear people say they wish they could go back in time to when they were younger but I don't feel that way.  There are definitely times that I wish I could go back for maybe a day or a night to be with loved ones and friends that I have lost or no longer have in my life for other reasons but I will always have the memories of them.

We cannot always be responsible for the happiness of others.  We make our choices and then we live with them.  We need to take responsibility for those choices without putting the blame on others.  This is something I've told my children over and over again as needed.  : )

Years ago, I read a quote that has stuck with me ever since.   "There are two lasting things we can give our children.  One is roots and the other is wings."  "Roots" are relatively easy for me.  It's the "wings" part that's definitely a little more difficult for me.  Seeing them soar, though, definitely makes it all worth the pain!!
 

I believe that there's a definite plan in everyone's life.  Something so much bigger than us is in the driver's seat.  We are just the passengers along for the ride.

I believe in letting go of what I can't control.  Unfortunately, sometimes it takes me a while to remember that's an option.   : )

I learned in a 12 step program years ago that when you point your finger at someone there are more fingers pointing back at you.  Try it.  It's true.  : )

I've learned that you don't have to be busy all the time.  For so many, this is a deterrent from having to be alone in your thoughts and taking an honest look at yourself.  It's so much easier to be in denial, isn't it?  : (

I've learned that what people think of me is none of my business.  I've learned that committing random acts of kindness makes me very happy and sometimes it's best just to listen without saying a word.  

I've also learned that the opposite of love is not hate.  The opposite of love is fear.  You either come from a place of love or you come from a place of fear.  That was a very big lesson for me to learn and it put many things into perspective for me.

Finally, I've learned that EVERY DAY I am a work in progress.  I am not the same person today that I was yesterday.  Hopefully just a little bit better.  : ) 

What are some of your favorite life lessons?  I would truly LOVE to hear them!!


Many blessings to you for a beautiful Thursday ~ Wendy  xo

Sunday Sayings . . .

I've been noticing more and more little random acts of kindness here in my town.  I think people are just so tired of hearing about all of the bad in this world that they're making a conscious effort to create more good.  If we could all commit to one random act of kindness a day and telling them to pay it forward just think how quickly the vibration of this Universe will raise up.  Think globally, act locally.  It's not too late to change the world.


Many blessings to you ~ Wendy