Sept. 11, 2009

The 8th year - it doesn't seem possible.  

To keep the memory fresh for me I watched the documentary 102 Minutes That Changed America from 11:00PM until about 2:00AM - very powerful, almost painful to watch.  I feel it is something that every high school and college should show on 9-11,  lest we forget.    

I also watched the Rick Rescorla documentary "The Man Who Predicted 9-11".  What an amazing story - why didn't anyone listen to this man?  Read the books about his life and his story leading up to 9-11 - it is so very frustrating and yet I am amazed at his courage.

I also think about a man I never met, Robert Vicario - I have his prayer card - from the prayer service I attended on the first Sunday after the tragedy in 2001.  Robert and his family have been in my thoughts and prayers ever since - here's the irony - I went to church on the Sunday before 9-11-09 and as a remembrance the pastor at my church had a book set up that contained biographies of all the victims of Sept. 11, 2001.  I had a chance - the first time - to actually see his pic and read about his life.  I had read his 2001 memory book for his funeral service but seeing his face and reading about his life made it more of a personal wrong. 

To this day I still can't believe the Sept. 11th is not an official day of mourning - I think it should be!

September 11th - remembering

I have been very low, as we all have, because of the whole 5th anniversary of 9-11. The problem - do I go with this feeling of terrible sadness or try and make myself feel better. At this time of year I choose to - remember. Sadness is not something we should run from..... we need to look at it, feel it, understand it and then?

So Sunday night I watched the documentary by the two French brothers. (I would not watch the Harvey Keitel fake documentary.) It was very well done (I saw it before.) and the added footage just enhanced the history of the whole piece. Then on Monday I wore r/w/b but I was very sad because it seemed like everywhere I went the significance of this date has already been lost! It is a day like no other in our history! Even at my church - no Mass, no prayer service. Where are all the yellow ribbons? Where are all the American flags? Innocent people were murdered! The country was invaded! Is the American collective memory that short-lived? Think about it!

Now, stay with me here, when 9/11 first happened my church had all the names of the victims on individual prayer papers which you could take home to remember "your" person and pray for them. So my card was a man named Robert Vicario, he worked at the Top of the Towers restaurant. At the time I had gone online and read his obit, signed the online version. It is my way of feeling connected and purposeful. So whenever the 9-11 names are read I always feel like it's my duty to listen for his name. So, back to the present, through out the day I would connect to the internet NEWS NOW connection for a live feed but of course they were not even close to his name. I never heard his name during the day and I felt kind of bad, like I'd let him down. Well, wouldn't you know, as I'm flipping through the channels at about 11:30PM I happen upon a news station that was doing a replay of the whole Ground Zero Ceremony and just as I flipped they were doing all the U names so I got to hear Robert's name after all, isn't that amazing! I made me feel like I was putting flowers on his grave. Once again we are all connected.

But I still think it is a shame that America has so quickly forgotten.