Miss Ann Says

•  Each September 11  Lake’s Fire department sounds it’s siren at the time of each event that occurred on this day 11 years ago. The sound of those sirens takes my breath away. I so appreciate that they do as their act of remembrance.

8:46 – Flight 11 crashes into #1 WTC

9:03 – United Flight 175 crashes into #2 WTC

9:37 – American Flight 77 crashes into Pentagon

9:59 – #2 WTC collapses in 10 seconds

10:03 – United Flight 93 crashes in Shanksville, PA

10:28 – #1 WTC collapses in 10 seconds

• Bruce’s godchild will go scuba diving in Vanuatu as her act of remembrance.
• My 9-year-old niece will wear a Squad 41 sweatshirt to school. Her act of remembrance for an uncle she never met.
• A friend and colleague will call me from Boise, ID as he does every year. It is his act of remembrance.
•  Small towns and cities across our nation will have a moment of remembrance.
• Firehouses and corporations all over NYC will have services to honor their own. Their acts of remembrance.
• People will look towards the sky this evening to see the beautiful tribute in lights. Another act of remembrance.
• “The names” are read at the National September 11 Memorial, the Pentagon and Shanksville, PA. A fellow docent at the Tribute Center, a survivor of the #1 WTC says (my paraphrase) “the names should be read because the terrorist were set on killing nameless people but those who died weren’t nameless.” Many family members will attend the ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial. It is their act of remembrance.

I have never attended the ceremony at the “site”. I have been invited each year. It is the one day of the year that I can’t go there. I don’t think I can handle the grief of all the 2,749 families and friends. At the first anniversary, my youngest daughter and I would travel to the Boston area to be with my older girl who had just started college. We would go to the Quincy Bay and pray and tell stories of Daddy. We would write a few thoughts in our “Things we would have told you” book. For the first few years after the attacks we would write in that book.  We would write things like “you would have thrown your body across the door when you saw how beautiful E, looked going to the prom” or ” M has a boyfriend.” That notebook is now set aside and that is okay. It will be fun to read it to my grandchildren some day. Especially when my daughters are telling their kids “you can’t date until you are 30”. The truth will be told about when they were young. 🙂

During a recent to my mother in-law’s, we had a conversation about the framed purple heart certificate on her wall. She was telling the story of her brother. She told my daughter, E, and I how her sister had the certificate and the medal and after her sister’s death my mother-in-law got the certificate. She mentioned that she was concerned what will happen to the certificate after she dies. And my daughter said “Grandma you don’t have to worry. I will make sure no one throws it out.”  And that ended the conversation. My mother-in-law just wanted to make sure that her brother is remembered. And isn’t that what we all want to know that those we love will not be forgotten.