On that morning, at 9:00, Mr. Johnson called me on the telephone and said, "Turn on your t.v. set." At that time I had been writing television spots, so I had a t.v. on my work desk. I turned it on. I was flabbergasted.
After watching in horror for about 3 hours, I thought to myself, "Whoever did this isn't going to keep me from doing my work today." I went back to work.
On this anniversary I'll be going to work as well. Outside my home, as a substitute teacher, for about 1/3 the wage I earned on 9/11/01.
Both of my parents were still alive on that morning. My father-in-law was still alive. Mom died in November of 2001. Mr Johnson's dad died in the early summer of 2002. My dad died in 2004.
On 9/11/01, my oldest daughter was in 7th grade and my youngest in 2nd. We went to church every Sunday.
My youngest daughter's school teacher was called out of class because her daughter was scheduled to be on one of the fatal flights. At the last minute her daughter changed her reservation to a later flight.
One of my daughter's friends lost an uncle in the attack. He had gone to the WTC to give a presentation. He'd never been there before and was nervous that he would pick the wrong tower. He had time to make a cell phone call to his wife before he died.
A local search-and-rescue dog and its owner were asked to come help find survivors. The dog didn't find any. It developed respiratory failure and died about 18 months later.
The president says we're safer now than we were then, but still not safe. If you have Scottish blood in your veins, you know that "safety" is a chimera, that we are never safe, that our leaders will turn on us and our enemies attack as they please. If you are of Scottish descent living in Appalachia, you know that your fellow Americans think you crude and ignorant, and wantonly violent. You are prone to overreacting because safety is a chimera, and you have to be prepared.
Exhibit A: Pictish Warriors, c. AD 600
Queen Brighid the Bright teaches us to protect our homes and hearths. Today we trust the federal government to do that. Have they secured our homes and hearths by invading a foreign nation that had nothing to do with the atrocity on 9/11? I rather think, or should I say my deep Scottish blood tells me, that more people hate American now than ever.
Blessings of the bored gods upon the victims of the Federal Building in Oklahoma, the World Trade Centers, and the Pentagon, as well as those on the planes and the rescue teams.
FROM ANNE
THE MERLIN OF BERKELEY SPRINGS
4 comments:
So many changes for all of us in the last five years..However for 2996 families one thing will never change. There love one will never come home.
May we never forget...
You rock, babe. I'd SO love to buy you a drink. No safety. That wasn't in the contract. it's ok, though.
For hundreds of thousands of years, human beings lived without war. Before about 4000 BC, no institutionalized warfare. Also before 4000 BC, few gods, mostly Goddesses. And the military-industrial complex just can't wait for all of us to wrap our heads around these facts!
Sounds like it's been a hard, hard half of a decade for you since 2001. I'm very sorry to hear about all your loss.
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