9/11 - A Day of Reflection not of Service

From the Community…

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  Posted by Ummm Fri Sep 11, 2009 1:14am PDT

  I was born in NYC and I lost my 8 and a half month pregnant cousin in the first tower. I am thankful that one of my good friends got out of there on time. She describes it as the building was chasing her and now, she lives in Florida. Another girlfriend "an athlete", went to work earlier that morning and worked on the 92nd floor, she had Aunt Martha come to visit her and had to go home and change. What are the odds? Aunt Martha had not visited her in 3 years, since she was in training! She was able to see the whole thing from her apartment and now, moved back to Texas.

  My Grandmother RIP 2-24-08 was supposed to go on the QE2(Cruise Ship) with the seniors and would have been in the city that am, but she slept late and missed it! Thank goodness, bc I was not ready for her to go yet, still was not ready for her to go when she did. I miss her daily! She was a city gal! Her and my Grandfather(RIP 2-14-96) are buried in Val Hala at The Gates of Heaven Cemetery. Both days, years apart they were buried or put into their drawers on March 1st and both days it was snowing up to my knees. Nothing is more beautiful than New York in the snow, except for Autumn in New York when the leaves are burnt oranges, bright yellows, deep shades of reds, browns like the colors of nuts, the acorns, and all of the animals gathering food to hide for the winter. I just love NY, even in the spring! Spring in New York means crisp mornings and evenings, and bright cheery days!

  I am so thankful that my childhood buddy got drunk and was too hung over to miss his third interview at the top of tower two. He enjoyed the city a little too much. Normally, he and his family and I, would have been disappointed that he got drunk and was too hung over to make it to that interview. But, we are so happy that he was sound asleep in his posh hotel in CT with an old girlfriend. If you have never been to Candlewood Lake, in Danbury, CT- you must make it before you go to heaven. You can go anytime of the year, but when the leaves are changing colors and there is a crispness to the air, it warms your heart and all of your senses tingle!

  I am thankful for all of my family and friends, and all of the little things in life. I have so many blessings. I miss the Twin Towers and the view from NJ into the city. My Grandfather took us to eat at Windows of the World( at the top of the World Trade Center) after seeing every show on Broadway and off. I have fond memories. My Grandparents all of them now, are up in heaven with all the angels that died Sept 11, 2001. The last time I ate there was with my Grandmother after seeing 42nd Street- a fabulous show! The dancing, and outfits are amazing. BTW, a little tip from a New Yorker. On Wednesday's you can go to any box office to see any of the shows and get half priced tickets each week! Most tourists do not know this. Nor do they know that most of the museums in NY are free. Read the fine print; it states a suggested donation. But, they are free and at the bottom of my long winded posting, I will post all of them. Note: Sept 26,2009 Saturday most museums around the US will be free admission for everyone, as it is National Museum Day!

  I agree with this article that we need to reflect, but also we should come together and give lots of love to one another. Write a gratitude letter to yourself and put things like: Being able to see the sun rise and set, colored leaves, the sounds that one hears at a playground, the aroma of my Italian mother's cooking(garlic), a smile from a stranger,my legs that are long and can walk anytime I want to, freedom to go anywhere at anytime and the freedom to speak my very opinionated mind, The Cure "Pictures of You",eating a ripe peach off the tree(warm), coupons and blogs, and fresh baked bread,Facebook as I get to see all of my friends from my entire life(from age Pampers to now), Getting to see my friends and family that live in other states grow up via Skype,The glow of a candle at night, being able to grow my own veggies and fruit and eating it off the vine, fresh herbs, and being able to cook: Grill (indoors and Outdoors), Broil,Bake,Boil,Steam,Poach, Fry,Roast,I love to cook!, My dog sitting on my lap right now, my family and friends are wonderful. Mom says I collect friends, each hand picked friend has an intricate role in my life and I hope I have one in theirs, Love- The more I love, the more I learn to love, great parents as my role models- they will be celebrating their first date in October as they do every year, but 2009 will be 50 years since my Dad preplanned a date with my Mom 10 days hence from the date he asked her, as she was busy every other time he asked. My Father is so romantic and I am so blessed to have him as a Daddy and my Father/best friend. My Mother is too romantic and such a great Mother?best friend. Who would have thought that "the meaniest mom in the whole wide world", would be my very best friend and the person I most want to be like and respect in life?

  I went on a rant, eh? I am thankful for my life, and God and having such an awesome relationship with him. I am thankful for this blog and will be posting it on my Facebook.

  I would advise that you too, write a gratitude letter to yourself, at least once a year on the Anniversary of Sept 11, 2001. Put it on your fridge, or fold it up and keep it in your wallet. When you think you are having a bad day, take it out and read it. It puts a perspective on life!

  I thank you for reading my very long comment! I hope that everyone has a nice day and I will continue to pray for the children/sons/daughters/mothers/fathers/sisters/brothers/cousins/unborn children/best friends/coworkers/even the people that we never met...Please however you pray please keep these ppl in your thoughts and prayers, bc even though it was 8 years ago, It is still hard thinking and missing my cousin and thinking about what her daughter would look like. She would have just started 2nd grade? Would she look like me? I miss Marie's laugh and her smile. Her husband is still missing her and his unborn child. Life is interesting as he is now dating a woman who lost her hubby. They are happy together, but may not have met if this situation did not happen. They are in a 9/11 support group. We do not have all the answers, but make sure you keep an open mind and heart as you never know how your day will go.

  Love you, each of you, I appreciate you for taking the time reading my comment. If you need someone to talk with about this or anything else, please feel free to contact me and if you happen to live in and around NYC or DFW and are single and tall and male, and nice, please feel free to contact me too. I am patiently awaiting my prince to come, so we can ride off into the sunset......You can reach me at: Savemyplanet@rocketmail.com SWF 5'10 HWP on the smaller side. Educated,great family and friends, romantic, etc...Not scared to take chances.....

  As promised:

  Free Museums in NYC

  Whether or not you are a starving artist, you can see art for FREE at museums that are always free, museums that have suggested contributions, and museums that have special free hours. Note: Many museums support themselves on the donations received by visitors; if you can't afford to pay the suggested contribution, a smaller donation can still make a difference.

  Free Every Day:

  American Numismatic Society

  Artists Space

  Carnegie Hall/Rose Museum

  Dahesh Museum

  The Drawing Center

  Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology

  Franklin Furnace

  Goethe House German Cultural Center

  Guggenheim Museum Soho

  The Hispanic Society of America

  The Municipal Art Society

  Museum of American Folk Art

  National Museum of the American Indian

  New York City Police Museum

  Snug Harbor Cultural Center

  Taipei Gallery

  Whitney Museum at Philip Morris

  American Museum of Natural History

  The Brooklyn Children's Museum

  The Brooklyn Museum of Art

  The Cloisters

  Dia Center for the Arts

  Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum

  El Museo del Barrio

  Metropolitan Museum of Art

  The Museum of the City of New York

  New York City Fire Museum

  New-York Historical Society

  P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center

  Pierpont Morgan Library

  Queens Museum of Art

  Seaman's Church Institute

  Staten Island Institute of Arts & Sciences

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  Posted by Mhu Cao Fri Sep 11, 2009 8:33am PDT

  Ummm, what a moving, heart-warming post! I couldn't have hoped for more fitting comment. I read it, carefully, thrice and each time I came away a better person. Were I single, I would have found a way to meetup with you - I need to meet someone capable of such poignant thoughts. I owe you a hug, Ummm. I hope I'm not being too forward, but a heartfelt hug is the only way to adequately express my feelings.

  In lieu of that hug ... THANK YOU. GOD BE WITH YOU.

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  Posted by __A_YAHOO_USER__ Fri Sep 11, 2009 8:54am PDT

  This is what then senator barak hussein obama said, "Beyond the immediate needs to improve security and dismantle "organizations of destruction," Obama wrote, lay the more difficult job of "understanding the sources of such madness." He wrote of "a fundamental absence of empathy on the part of the attackers," of "embittered children" around the world, of the seeds of discontent sown in poverty, ignorance and despair."

  I agree with ur post. Should be a day of reflection. The only thing to understand is that they hated us then and they hate us now and want to wipe America and Israel off the face of the earth. The president can sympathize with them all he wants but I DO NOT. And no amount of sympathy for them and their poverty is going to change the fact they allow hatred to control their life and embrace violence to get their point across. No sympathy here for the terrorist or cambatants or whatever they are labeled this week, but I do have sympathy for the families of the victims of the twin towers, and the families of the soldiers who have died since. Proves my point our commander in chief of the military cannot effectively fight the combatants aka terrorist because he has SYMPATHY for them. GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS.

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  Posted by V-for-V-a-l-i-a-n-T™ Fri Sep 11, 2009 9:54pm PDT

  Yeah Mhu, but in all honesty how many kids (if he planned to propagandize them) would actually GRASP what the hell he was talking about?

  It probably would not even have held their attention spans long enough, and they would have pulled out their Iphone and start playing games and crap

  and if that "how can I help the president"? phrase was in there, well, how many ways can THAT be interpreted?

  did we NOT help the President "Just say NO" to drugs?

  did we NOT help the President's wife with her Illiteracy campaign?

  When JFK said "Ask not what your country can do for you, but: "What you can do for your Country"?

  Was he not ASKING for help? and in essence, that WOULD BE helping HIM right?

  I just think that People are going to be up in arms over WHATEVER Obama does, good or bad.

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  Posted by Mhu Cao Sat Sep 12, 2009 10:49am PDT

  Well, Valiant, if you think back eight years, the same could be said about Bush. Why should Obama be treated any better?

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  Posted by Mhu Cao Sat Sep 12, 2009 11:01am PDT

  V, Kennedy's call to service struck chords in a lot of the male teenagers and pre-teens (in those days, patriotism wasn't considered a form of covert racism). Kennedy's speech was the spur/coercion for these patriot young men to join the military. The Democrats micromanaged the war from Washington. The cost? 58,000 dead, with hundreds of thousands wounded.

  Sounds like Afghanistan to me -- or the new wars in Korea and Iran/Iraq.

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  Posted by awesome one Sun Sep 13, 2009 11:51am PDT

  If you think the best way to honor the victims is to spend the day in reflection that is good and that is what you should do. If someone else feels the best way to honor the victims is to volunteer at an event , e.g.,one put on by firemen or policemen for the children of the fallen, then that is all well and good, too. There is nothing wrong with people honoring the day the way they see fit.

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  Posted by jad Sun Sep 13, 2009 11:05pm PDT

  People need to do whatever they feel comfortable with on 9/11. If you have a family member in the armed services, like I do, then I say a silent prayer for their well-being--as well as for those who lost their lives in the disaster.

  December 7th is Pearl Harbor "Remembrance Day." Typically, everyone remembers the events, and the men who served in WWII. Often many events centered on this day are service-oriented to help all veterans. Raising money and raising awareness is a good thing. Maybe we could do something similar for 9/11, picking a central theme.

  I don't think the new Administration has made us look weaker. They haven't had enough time to do much of anything. But I do think the news of our country being so divided has made us look weaker as international news services report all our (rude) bickering both in government, in town meetings and on the streets to the rest of the world.

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  Posted by Mhu Cao Mon Sep 14, 2009 9:11pm PDT

  I respectfully disagree, jad. Obama looks weak, and has made the country look confused, irresolute, and definitely weak. How do I know? Usama bin Laden.

  http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2009/09/14/2009-09-14_bin_laden_uses_annual_911_rant_to_mock_obama_as_a_weak_shadow_of_george_w_bush.html

  Usama may be full of sh!t, but his manure carries a lot of weight in terrorist and anti-US quarters. If you dig around a bit more, you'll see us being mocked by Russia, China, the usual Euro-putzes, Venezuela, Iran, North Korea, ....

  Have you noticed how nuclear proliferation has jumped? Weapons systems shipped from one US opponent to another? And general antagonism and dissing by Putin doesn't help.

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  Posted by jad Tue Sep 15, 2009 8:50am PDT

  Do you mean "Osama" Bin Laden? Nuclear proliferation has always been increasing, just as nations move forward, using nuclear energy for their new energy source. We don't stand still, countries do try to progress. All countries. This is one of the first times, in the last eight years, the US has had open dialogue with the USSR. Weapons are always being traded, from as far back in our history as the French and Indian wars. Give me some facts that we are weaker. And, please I wouldn't tell our military personnel who are working so hard each day that we are!

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