Miss Ann Says

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• aha moment!!!

  Posted at 10:36 am by missannsays, on September 14, 2013

  http://t.co/Sws01nnNLP

  I have to share this story. I know some people wouldn’t agree with me and that is fine. Some people may not even get it and that is fine, too. But this morning I just witnessed the most amazing example of God’s love for me. An example of his fingerprints all over everything.

  As I checked my email, I had my daily 9/11 list server email. I subscribe to this post and most days I glance down the list is see if there is anything I should know. I may or may not click on an article or YouTube video. Some days I delete it without reading anything. It helps to keep me informed about all things September 11 including books, the National Museum, etc.. Today a YouTube video by New York City Ballet was included. I clicked on it, watched a beautiful piece that was performed on the roof of 4WTC at dawn. 1WTC is visible in the background. The music, the choreography, the dancers everything about it is fitting and appropriate as a September 11 tribute which it is. New York City Ballet presented this as a “gift of remembrance”. It is stunning.

  I posted it on twitter because I felt it was worth sharing. My twitter account is connected to my Facebook page. So then on Facebook I tagged a few dancers who I wanted to make sure saw it because I knew they would enjoy seeing it. And then a comment of Facebook brought me to tears. Good tears. The kind of tears that remind me how much I am loved by God. I actually had an aha moment!! I suddenly realized what a gift this video was. Let me explain. As you probably know my husband was one of he 343 firefighters killed on September 11. Thus my interest in “all things September 11”. You may or may not know that as a little girl I wanted to be a ballerina. Starting in my teens and through most of my adult life I taught ballet. I taught ballet and other forms of dance for 40 years. For 35 of those years a friend and I owned a dancing school. We retired two years ago and were able to “gift” the studio to a wonderful, talented young woman. I have known that young woman since she was a little girl. Actually I have also known her husband since he was a little boy. Her husband worked on building the building the dancers in the video are dancing on. So here are all these parts that came together in this one video – September 11, ballet, the building. But it was so much more than that. It is hard to explain but I had a moment of clarity where I understood the Bible story of Joseph and I understood “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done…”

  Social media connects us is marvelous ways. I believe God is constantly connecting us to each other and to Him. I am grateful and awed.

  Posted in daily life, faith, memories, relationships, September 11, then & now | 0 Comments | Tagged following Jesus, friendship, little things, September 11

• a few words

  Posted at 6:40 pm by missannsays, on September 12, 2013

  The question is usually posed in one of two ways. “Would you mind saying a few words?” or “Would you like to say a few words?” My answer is typically “No, I don’t mind” or “Yes, I would like to?” Breath! Think! Smile! Lucky for me the person who asked either question can’t read my thoughts. “Okay now what?!?” “How many words are a few words? ” “What do you want me to say Lord!” “Oh boy, that may have been the wrong answer?”

  Yesterday, I had two amazing opportunities to say a “few words”. As I began my day, I knew I was the spokes person for the Tribute Center at the ringing of the bell at NASDAQ. That whole experience makes me smile because really, what the heck am I doing at the NASDAQ? A few weeks ago, Tribute Center had asked for volunteers to ring the opening bell on September 11. At that point in time, I was sorting through how I would spend the day. I was already planning on attending the dedication of a memorial in Bruce’s hometown of Rochelle Park, NJ but that was in the evening. At first I thought nah, I won’t say yes to the NASDAQ and then I thought why not? So I said “yes”. Then last Friday the volunteer coordinator from the Tribute Center called and asked if I would mind saying “a few words” as Tribute’s spokes person. I chuckled and said “this is so weird on so many levels but why not?”. Then they asked “would you like talking points?” “Yes, please.” Now this whole time I am assuming that ALL the people representing the Tribute Center, Tuesday’s Children, New York Fire & Police Widow and Children Fund, the NYPD and FDNY will be on stage. Not!! It is just me and 4 other people – one from each organization. “Oh, my! how did I get here?” . So much for safety in numbers. Eventually, all those other people join in. Thank you, Jesus!! But the piece de resistance was when we went outside for our tower photos. The photographer took a few photos of the five representatives standing in the middle of Time Square with the NASDAQ tower in the background. And then he took individual photos* and there was my name in huge letters on the tower. Unbelievable. And I had to laugh. I remembered my dancing teacher, Miss Betty, saying “Stick with me kid, you will have your name in lights and your ass in tights!!” But it was my hubby that got my name in lights. Thanks, Bruce. 🙂

  Last evening I attended the dedication of the September 11 memorial in Rochelle Park, NJ. When I arrived, I was asked “would you like to say a few words?” The memorial in Rochelle Park has two names on it – Richard Bruce Van Hine and Father Mychal Judge. As I pondered what to say I thought about was there any connection between Bruce and Father Judge besides they were both FDNY deaths on September 11. And then it came to me or probably more accurately God whispered in my ear. They both loved God and they both fulfilled their callings. So my “few words” included that Bruce and Father Judge both loved God. I also stated “I never had the privilege of meeting Father Judge but from what I read about him I can think Bruce and Father Judge have something else in common. They fulfilled their callings. My prayer and hope is that each of us will fulfill the callings on our life.”

  “Lord, Take me where you want me to go,Let me meet who you want me to meet,Tell me what you want me to say and keep me out of your way” Father Mychal Judge

  *I don’t have the photo yet but when I do I will post it.

  Posted in daily life, memories, September 11, then & now, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged following Jesus, little things, September 11, telling the next generation

• Travel Tuesdays S1E21 – National September 11 Memorial and Museum

  Posted at 7:35 pm by missannsays, on September 10, 2013

  It seemed appropriate to write about the National September 11 Memorial and Museum today. I do want to clarify a couple of things. First the National September 11 Memorial and Museum is currently just a Memorial. The projected date for the Museum to open is Spring 2014. Secondly even though it is called the National September 11 Memorial and Museum it is not funded by or overseen by the government. It is a private entity and funded by donations. The Memorial recognizes all who were killed at the three attack locations on September 11, 2001 – World Trade Center, Shanksville, PA and the Pentagon. It also recognizes the 6 people including the pregnant woman and her unborn child who were killed in the Feb 26, 1993 terrorist bombing at the World Trade Center.

  I would suggest you start your visit to the Memorial and the Tribute Center, 120 Liberty St where you can view 5 small galleries that tell the timeline of September 11 from the attacks to the rebuilding and sign up for a walking tour. http://www.tributewtc.org/walktours. The Tribute Center is a project of the September 11 Families Association and opened in September of 2006. Walking tours led by volunteers who have a personal connection to September 11 started in the fall of 2005. Each walking tour is led by either a family member, first responder, downtown resident, survivor or someone who volunteered at the site. The basic concept behind Tribute is person to person history. You will hear the facts of September 11, the development of the original WTC will be discussed, the rescue, the recovery and the rebuilding will be explained. But by far the most amazing part will be hearing the stories of the two docents leading your tour. I have personally been volunteering since February 2006.

  The tour starts at the Tribute Center, proceeds to Greenwich Street where you see and learn about the FDNY Memorial. This is also the “Photo Op Spot” to get the great photo of 1 WTC and 7 WTC. Once you are on the Memorial you are too close to 1 WTC to get a photo of the whole building. The tour then continues through security, under the south bridge which is the last remaining above ground piece of the original WTC. One more security checkpoint and you are standing on the Memorial Plaza. If the buildings were still standing, you would be in the lobby of the Marriott (formerly the Vista) Hotel. The Memorial Plaza is and should be considered hallowed ground. Of the 2,749 people who were killed here on September 11, 2001, 40% of their families have never had any human remains. One of the first things you will notice is the trees. When the Memorial Plaza is completed there will be 400 trees. If you look north to south, the trees appear to be random. In a few years the trees will have grown to their full height, as you look east to west the tress will be arched to form the look of an arbor or the entrance to a cathedral. As you approach the South Memorial pool, you will hear the sounds of the waterfall and the sounds of the city will drift away. Once you walk past the last row of trees, you are standing in what would have been 2 WTC or the South Tower. The last row of trees before the pool is where the outside walls of the South Tower used to stand. The trees mark the acre in size. The black granite in front of you contains the names of the 595 people killed in the South Tower, the passengers and crew of the flight that crashed into the south tower, the passengers and crew killed on the plane and in the Pentagon, the passengers and crew of United 93 and all first responders – 343 FDNY, 23 NYPD, 37 PAPD as well as a court officer, FBI agent and WTC security people. There names are etched out because they are gone. Below the granite panel there is a shelf of water that will become the waterfall then pond and then become a waterfall again disappearing into a void that you taken see the bottom of. You can touch the water. You can rub water over a name. And whether it is very hot out or very cold out you can always touch the names because the panel is cooled in the summer and heated in the winter. The north pool is similar in design but has different names etched into it. The names of 1360 people who were killed in the 1 WTC or the North Tower, the passengers and crew of the plane that crashed into the North Tower and the people who were killed in the Feb 1993 bombing.

  There is all kinds of interesting facts and stories I could tell you about “meaningful adjacencies”, the rebuilding, the survivor tree, the surrounding neighborhood, the new Museum and St Paul’s Chapel and an urban legion but then you won’t need to take a tour. 🙂 You can go to the Memorial by yourself but trust me you will get so much more out of the experience if you do a Tribute Center walking tour.

  

  http://www.911memorial.org

  Posted in respect in the real world, September 11 | 0 Comments | Tagged prayer, September 11, telling the next generation, travel thoughts

• always remember or never forget

  Posted at 8:21 pm by missannsays, on September 9, 2013

  As my dentist walked into the examining room last Friday, he commented “I was just talking about you the other day.” Of course, I commented “why”. He told me that he has a foreign exchange student living with him and the student’s assignment was to write about what he remembers about September 11, 2001. There were two problems with that assignment this particular student is from China and this is a class of high school sophomores. This young man is a little older than his classmates but he is still only 17 so he was 5 in 2001. We chatted back and forth about how young these students were when September 11, 2001 happened and that they shouldn’t really have memories of that day. I asked “what did the young man write about.” My dentist asked the student what he knew and he remembered learning that something had happened in America but no real details. My dentist told the student that he had patients who were directly affected, shared my story and also told his personal memories of that day.

  We also chatted about the idea that people say they will never forget but that they probably will. I mentioned that I had commented to my daughters at one point that when you hear on the radio that it is Pearl Harbor Day that still really means something to someone because they loss a father, grandparent, great-uncle. My dentist went on to tell me that when he was in the Navy stationed in Norfolk, VA. An urgent call had come through for all the ships to immediately lower their flags to half-staff because it was December 7. Wow, even the Navy forgot. 😦

  And so 12 years from September 11, 2001 you have people who have real personal “I remember…” memories but you also have a generation who wasn’t old enough to have memories or weren’t even born. And very soon “I remember on September 11…” will sound to kids/teens the same way “I remember on December 7…” sounded to me. Even though it seems like ancient history to young people, we have to share those stories so those stories can be retold to future generations.

  September 11 was named National Day of Service and Remembrance by the US Congress in 2009. Their website has some suggestions for service and has teaching tools. http://www.serve.gov/?q=site-page/toolkits The Tribute Center also has teaching tools. http://www.tributewtc.org

  As September 11, 2013 approaches, my hope is you will tell the next generation your September 11 story. My prayer is that the next generation will not have their own December 7 or September 11.

  Posted in daily life, September 11 | 1 Comment | Tagged respect, September 11, telling the next generation

• this day in history

  Posted at 7:58 pm by missannsays, on September 5, 2013

  I heard on the radio that today is the day in 1972 when eleven members of the Israeli Olympic delegation and 1 police officer were killed in Munich due to a terrorist attack. I remember that event. I can still see the images of the bus being blown up on the runway. I was horrified that such a thing could happen at the Olympics. I wrote a poem about it and I actually still have that poem. What I understand now, that I never could have dreamt then would be a possibility is that I can appreciate it what it feels like to have a “personal loss in the midst of an international tragedy”.

  They had a dream
  to try for the team,
  They trained with such sweat
  and then they met,
  Teams with youthful thoughts
  in harmony they fought.

  Whether bronze, silver or gold,
  a medal they hold.
  Seven belonged to one,
  many received none.
  Teams with youthful thoughts
  in harmony they fought.

  Suddenly struck the tragic crime
  which left elven with no time,
  It is a terrible shame
  that gloom had to come to the game,
  Teams with youthful thoughts
  in harmony they fought.

  Teams with a youthful cry
  trying to understand why.

  Today is also the anniversary of Mother Teresa’s death. “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” ― Mother Teresa

  Read more: This Day in History: September 5 | Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory/September-5#ixzz2e46vOa1F

  Posted in memories | 0 Comments | Tagged following Jesus, little things, randomness, September 11

• Travel Tuesdays – S1E20 Oxford and Stratford

  Posted at 6:30 pm by missannsays, on September 4, 2013

  

  Lateness of blog is due to babysitting my nieces. Shout out to moms who blog “you rock.”

  I almost called this post “scholars and Shakespeare”. I love Oxford – the colleges, the gardens, the bicycles, thoughts of who walked the cobbled stones streets before you, who sat in the church you are seating in, who hung out in the same pub or cafe. Oxford is so rich in history, architecture, stories. Oxford is the place of my birth many years ago. My mum always says “she gave me a good start and after that I was on my own.” 🙂 I left England when I was under two years of age. Not sure I could glean much from Oxford at age 1. I will admit that when people hear where I was born, many times they say “really?!?”. I control myself and don’t respond “no, I was lying.” Anyway.

  Radcliffe Infirmary where I born no longer exists. My mother’s cousin and I joked that after I was born there and then years later her son, there was no need to keep it open – the best had been delivered. lol. I hadn’t realized it was only a block away from where I had booked a dorm room during my visit this summer.

  University rooms is a good website for finding dorm rooms to rent. http://www.oxfordrooms.co.uk. Bed and breakfasts and hotels in Oxford are pricey. My daughter, her hubby and I stayed one night at Keble College. Keble College is one of the 39 colleges that are part of Oxford University. It has the longest dining hall in Oxford. Think Harry Potter. Wow!! Full English breakfast is included with your nights stay and the atmosphere of the dining hall is worth every penny. Added bonus, the food was delicious and plentiful and the staff was delightful. One thing I noticed in each place I stayed in Britain was the rooms have a hot water pot, china cup and saucer, tea bags, biscuits aka cookies, milk and sugar all beautifully placed on a tray. It seems so much more civilized than the coffee pot and styrofoam cups in American hotel rooms. I also spent two nights at the Merifield Annex of Wadham College in an area of Oxford called Summertown. A 10 minute bus ride and I was in the city center. In England you don’t say “round trip” the term is “return.” Another lesson learned. Merifield Annex was very convenient to city center and the neighborhood included grocery stores, cafes, and even the community center with pool.

  After Oxford, I headed to Stratford-upon-Avon, the home of Shakespeare. Great black and white buildings, some with thatched roofs, swans on the river Avon, and boat tours all make Stratford a lovely place to visit. Shakespeare’s birthplace and visitor center is informative without being “stuffy”. http://www.shakespeare.org.uk You do have to watch a short video before you can proceed to the next room in the visitor center but the video is short and sweet. They actually do that with each room. There is information that is presented and the door to the next room doesn’t open until it is done. Not sure how everyone feels about this technique but I found it worthwhile and not overly long or boring. Most of the sights connected to Shakespeare are within easy walking distance. (Anne Hathway’s Cottage is not as centrally located as other sights. Learned that many years ago when a friend and I walked there. it was further than we thought it would be).You pay one admission for a couple of different sites and your admission price allows you to return within the year. Good deal.

  “And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.” As you like it

  

  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments

• elevators, punch lines and tweets.

  Posted at 8:02 pm by missannsays, on August 29, 2013

  Sometimes, I wonder. Today I had 3 “interesting” elevator experiences. This afternoon, I had a meeting with a Japanese reporter at the September 11 Family Association offices. I headed over there after supporting the 11 o’clock tour and leading the 1 o’clock tour at the 9/11 WTC Tribute Center. (I mention that to show that maybe I was tired). Security in NYC doesn’t allow you to just walk into most office buildings. I checked in and was allowed through the security gates and pushed the button on the panel to “call” for an elevator. The panel lets you know which elevator is “yours”. You don’t get in any elevator. A designated elevator arrives and then delivers you to that specific floor. When you get in the elevator you don’t push a button for your floor like you do in a hotel. Anyway, I wasn’t paying attention and got on the wrong elevator which I had to ride all the way to the 33rd floor and back down again to the lobby. The guy on the elevator commented “I think you are on the wrong elevator but don’t worry it goes down faster than it goes up” which was actually a worrisome idea.

  After my interview, I exited the offices and pushed the button to go down. The elevator came, I got in and waited. I thought wow, it is taking a little long to go 8 floors. Duh!?! Going down you have to push the L lobby button. And to finish my weird elevator day, when I got in the elevator at the parking garage a rabbi, a mobster and 3 steel workers got in too and I wanted to laugh out loud. Instead I tweeted “A steel worker, a rabbi & a mobster get in an elevator. Not punch line for a joke but stereotypes of who was just in the elevator with me!!” Go figure. Your average day in NYC. Hope stuff like this happens to other people or is it just me.

  Speaking of elevators, my daughter was afraid of elevators when she was young. Every now and then I would catch her playing in the bathroom with her dolls. She would be opening and closing the door and when asked what she was doing she would say “I am playing elegator.” That isn’t a typo, she called “elevators, elegators” 🙂

  Posted in daily life | 0 Comments | Tagged little things, randomness

• Travel Tuesday – S1E19 – Japan PhDs & MDs

  Posted at 9:47 pm by missannsays, on August 27, 2013

  During my recent trip to Japan, I participated in and attended three different university conferences on mental health and disasters. It was slightly intimidating. I had joked with a fellow Tribute Center docent that I would be lucky if I made it out of the conference without being “locked up”. Seriously when we walked into the first conference at Fukushima Medical University The Center for Medical Sciences I thought wow, what am I doing here? The table was very formally set with the 12 members of “our” team on one side and the 12 members of the university staff on the other. It was what I imagine the Paris peace talks must have looked like. There was a presentation that explained the extent of the March 11, 2011 disaster and the immediate after effects. Then the two doctors traveling with us from Mount Sinai Hospital offered a presentation about September 11 medical health programs and findings. Both presentations were very informative.

  The next day we attended a conference at the International Research Institute of Disaster Sciences at Tohuku University. Due to space and time limitations just two of us would speak at this conference. One of the doctors from Mount Sinai would explain the work the Japan Society has done and then the concept of “9/11 meets 3/11”. My fellow docent and I would briefly tell our personal September 11 stories.

  One of the doctors asked me “what did I think the two disasters had in common and how were they different.” I responded “They were different because 9/11 was an act of terrorism and 3/11 was an act of nature. And I feel they are similar because people died. And loss is loss whether it is your family member or your home. Loss is universal just has hope is universal. I have often said “I have had a personal loss in the midst of a national tragedy.” I loss my husband but America as a nation was changed. In Japan there are people who have lost their family members so their loss in personal, but as a nation you have loss something as well. My heart is sad for Japan.” There was one more conference to attend at the same university and all of us were able to share at that venue. We would also visit mental health clinics and two relocation centers.

  Often on my tours I mention “I have had a personal loss in the midst of a national tragedy and there is no handbook to tell you how to do that”. Well, it seems there are MD’s and PhD’s in Japan and the USA who are trying to write that handbook. I am glad for that but I also hope it is a handbook no one will ever need.

  Posted in daily life, respect in the real world, September 11 | 1 Comment | Tagged Japan, little things, respect, September 11

• let’s do lunch

  Posted at 1:24 pm by missannsays, on August 26, 2013

  If you had peeked through the kitchen window, it would have looked like three women having lunch. And you would have been right but you would have missed all the other layers. There were three of us – myself, my neighbor and my sister-in-law. We were having a delicious lunch which was so generously supplied by my neighbor and served at my weekend house aka the Barn. But the luncheon was so much more than just lunch. It was a time for my sister-in-law, my neighbor and I to share our breast cancer stories. For my sister-in-law to encourage my neighbor who isn’t as far down the road as she is. It was a time for us to voice victories and concerns. A time to say “we hate all that pink stuff”. A time to remember how far we have come and how far some people still have to go. We laughed. We listened. We loved.

  And I was reminded that God doesn’t waste anything. All that you or I have experienced and learned along the way can help or encourage that person who is one step behind or across the street. Having lunch or maybe just holding the door open for that person who is one step behind is all that is needed. The bonus is you are encouraged, too. So who do you need to do lunch with? 🙂

  “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

  Posted in daily life, relationships | 1 Comment | Tagged cancer, friendship, little things

• Travel Tuesdays – S1E18 Japan – lost in translation

  Posted at 8:09 pm by missannsays, on August 20, 2013

  

  All the hotels we stayed in while in Japan had a complimentary robe/nightgown and slippers. The above emergency exit sign on the back of the door at one hotel was puzzling. My “roommate” and I weren’t sure if the hotel was worried about you being properly dressed. Or were they worried about you stealing their nightgown and slippers. In an emergency, aren’t you just suppose to get out.

  

  Twice during my trip to Japan I received emergency alerts. It is wonderful that your cell phone let’s you know there is an emergency. Unfortunately, I knew there was an emergency that part is written in English. However, what the emergency was is written in Japanese. So I know to be concerned but don’t know why. Duh!?! Fortunately, our guides could explain.

  

  Where is the sink? Oh, the sink is part of the toilet. When you “flush” the toilet, the water first comes out the top so you can wash your hands and then that water is used to fill the tank. Good for small bathrooms and good way to conserve water. 🙂

  Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

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