Miss Ann Says

Tag: respect

• Federal Holidays aka Sale Days

  Posted at 10:11 pm by missannsays, on May 26, 2013

  I found this interesting information regarding federal holidays on Wikipedia -“For constitutional reasons, the United States does not have national holidays in the sense that most other nations do, i.e. days on which all businesses are closed by law and employees have a day off. Pursuant to the Tenth Amendment, the U.S. federal government only has constitutional jurisdiction to establish holidays for itself, for certain federally chartered and regulated businesses (such as federal banks), and for the District of Columbia; and pursuant to the First Amendment, neither federal, state nor local government can require any business (other than those mentioned) or individual to observe any holiday. Otherwise, constitutional authority to create public holidays is a power reserved to the states. Most states also allow local jurisdictions (cities, villages, etc.) to establish their own local holidays. As of 2012, there are eleven federal holidays in the United States, ten annual holidays and one quadrennial holiday (Inauguration Day). Pursuant to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 (effective 1971), official holidays are observed on a Monday, except for New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. All current federal holidays have also been made public holidays in all 50 states. States are not bound to observe the holidays on the same dates as the federal holidays but they are free to do as they will.”

  The ten annual federal holidays are: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King’s Birthday, George Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day. And do you know what they all have in common? There are sale days in conjunction with each and every one. And for some reason this Memorial Day that is really bugging me. Maybe it is because young men and women are still dying in war. Maybe it is because I was at a National Veteran’s Cemetery recently and saw all the graves. Or maybe it is because I can personally name a couple of those who gave their lives in the past year. Remembering with parades, ceremonies even family barbeques seems appropriate but sale days?!?!

  As I look at the list of Federal Holidays, I think maybe Labor Day would be a good holiday to have a sale connected to it but not the others. I wonder maybe retailers could have sales on other days and leave the federal holidays for remembering and respecting the ideals and sacrifices of those the federal holiday was established for. I guess my fear is that some day September 11 will be made a Federal Holiday and we will have sales with taglines like “special deals between 9am-11pm”. And we will have forgotten what happened on that day just as many may have forgotten what Memorial Day is all about.

  Thank you to all who have laid down your lives for my freedoms. May God continue to comfort your families. God bless America.

  Posted in daily life, respect in the real world, September 11 | 0 Comments | Tagged respect, September 11, telling the next generation

• a duh??? email from National September 11 Memorial

  Posted at 6:38 pm by missannsays, on May 5, 2013

  Today I received the following email from the National September 11 Memorial:

  “Thank you for visiting the National September 11 Memorial and helping to keep our collective promise to honor, remember, and reunite.

  You can support the continued care of the Memorial by making a donation. Please visit our online Museum shop to explore a variety of unique and special keepsakes, books, and accessories. All net proceeds from our sales support sustaining and developing the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

  Please visit our website, 911memorial.org, to subscribe to our e-newsletter for news and information on upcoming events, including the opening of the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

  Thank you for helping to build a lasting place for remembrance, reflection, and learning for years to come.”

  Too be honest I am confused. I have requested passes many times and never received the fore mentioned email. I am truly hoping that this was some kind of computer email error. Because I am going to be very disappointed if the National September 11 Memorial meant to send me this email. Really!?! Did you send a family member an email saying “thank you for helping to build a lasting place for remembrance, reflection and learning for years to come.” I guess I helped to build it when my husband dies in the line of duty there. And not for nothing but asking me to purchase something from your online store is just tacky. The whole email screams lack of respect for the fact I am a family member.

  This email reminds me of the letter I received from the medical examiner’s office in January 2002 asking for additional DNA samples for Bruce. And informing me that “chewed gum” was a good source of DNA. Really, after 4 months you think I have a piece of gum my deceased husband chewed lying around. Long story short, they had DNA samples but the right hand didn’t know where the left hand had put them. And they did apologize for sending a form letter.

  What I find upsetting in the email from the National September 11 Memorial and the letter of medical examiner so many years ago is the lack of respect for who is receiving the email or the letter. National September 11 Memorial is a beautiful and fitting memorial and I appreciate that is cost money to maintain but just maybe asking me to contribute within days of visiting is “bad timing” on your part. Maybe I should pay the $2.00 processing fee for public entrance.

  May I just add that if you would like to visit the Memorial I would love to take you to it.

  Posted in daily life, memories, respect in the real world, September 11 | 0 Comments | Tagged little things, respect, September 11

• in the meantime…

  Posted at 5:39 pm by missannsays, on April 25, 2013

  I completed a “light, little” blog post about a half hour ago and scheduled it to be published in an hour. In the meantime, I went on Face Book and saw that a friend had posted that her son-in-law was killed yesterday while serving in Afghanistan. So I pause and say a prayer for her daughter and children. My heart breaks. I say a prayer for my friend and her family. I grief that I never met this young man. I say a prayer for his family. I weep. I marvel that this young man is about the same age as my son-in-laws. I thank the Lord for my girls and their guys. I remember the wonderful times spent together with my friend and her family many years ago. I am grateful. I remember that this friend and her husband drove from SC to Bruce’s memorial service. I am humbled. I ponder all the sadness and sorrow of this world. And I say aloud “I know whom I have believed in and I am pursued that He is able to keep that I have entrusted unto Him against that day.”

  Posted in daily life, faith, memories, relationships, respect in the real world | 0 Comments | Tagged following Jesus, little things, respect

• DC and me

  Posted at 3:31 pm by missannsays, on March 11, 2013

  

  I visited Washington DC this weekend with my youngest daughter. We had a wonderful mother/daughter trip. I hadn’t visited the District of Columbia to see the sights since July of 2001. In 2001, my eldest daughter attended a one week course at American University. I had driven there and back in one day to drop her off. Those were crazy supermom times. When it was time to pick her up, my mom and younger daughter tagged along and we spent a few a days seeing the sights. During this past weekend, I mentioned a few times to M that we did this or that when we were here in 2001. She didn’t remember the trip. She was only 14 years old at the time. She remembered a few things she did on her senior trip to DC in Spring of 2004. And even commented that she didn’t really appreciate all of it. I mentioned that even if she didn’t appreciate the trip it was a worthwhile experience. I quoted my Dad who was famous for saying “travel is wasted on the young.” Which I don’t think he really believed because he gave my siblings and I opportunities to travel. Anyway as we were looking for a parking garage this past weekend, I commented ” July 2001 was the first time I ever remember having to open the trunk and them using that long mirror to look under the car.” Strangely M remembered that, too. Little did we know that would become a normal part of life in today’s world.

  Washington is a beautiful city. It is very clean and doesn’t seem cluttered. As we walked along we mentioned how quiet it seemed in comparison to NYC. I often wonder what people think when they visit NYC for the first time. I love NYC but I think the energy of the city overwhelms people. There is something awe-inspiring about DC. The buildings are so majestic and the memorials are stunning. I felt humbled not just by the beauty of the structures but by the sacrifice and ideals that they represented. I was reminded of what an amazing country I live in. As my Dad used to say “Our form of government isn’t perfect but it is better than any other form of government you will find in the rest of the world.”

  Our 30 hour visit to DC included the Newseum, the Pentagon Memorial, a night tour of the city, the Capitol tour, the Library of Congress, the National Archives and the Museum of American History. We walked a lot. Noteworthy: The Newseum is a newer museum and well worth the time and admission price. The world map that shows which countries have a free press is a moment to be thankful. I was saddened that the Pentagon Memorial doesn’t have a larger number of visitors. I was grateful to visit it with a fellow docent from the Tribute Center who was able to tell my daughter and I the meaning of the various elements that make up this beautiful memorial. He also shared his personal September 11 Pentagon story. The night tour of DC is a must. The memorials are stunning at night and not crowded. The tour bus stops at the Capitol, White House, Jefferson, World War II, Roosevelt, MLK, Lincoln, Korean War, Vietnam and Marine Memorials. The tour guide disembarked with us and told all kinds of interesting facts. If it hadn’t been so windy it would have been perfect. The funniest line of the weekend was when we were in the Library of Congress and we couldn’t find any books. M commented “There are no books. They are all on a Kindle.” 🙂

  The weird thing about the visit was the reality of “the personal loss in the midst of a national tragedy”. The Newseum had a September 11 section, the road in front of the White House is closed because of 9-11, other places had September 11 remembrances and the Capitol had a memorial to Flight 93. It wasn’t a negative thing. It was almost like a secret my daughter and I shared. And I wondered what secrets the other visitors had as they looked at the various memorials and remembered a family member or friend.

  It was a great weekend to spend time with my daughter and to remember that “freedom isn’t free”.

  Posted in books, daily life, memories | 0 Comments | Tagged little things, respect, September 11

• 20 years ago today

  Posted at 7:31 pm by missannsays, on February 26, 2013

  “As you go about your lives today, please take a moment with me to remember those six individuals who were simply doing the same 20 years ago and were taken too soon: John DiGiovanni, Robert Kirkpatrick, Stephen A. Knapp, William Macko, Wilfredo Mercado, and Monica Rodriguez Smith, who was pregnant when she died.”- National September 11 Memorial & Museum President & CEO Joe Daniels

  Today marks the 20th anniversary of the first time the World Trade Center was attacked by terrorist. Six people were killed in that attack including a woman who was seven months pregnant. Those six people are remembered on the north side of the north pool at the National September 11 Memorial. Next to Monica Rodriguez Smith’s name it reads “and her unborn child”. Just think today that unborn child would be a 20-year-old man or woman. There are at least 12 times on the Memorial that after a woman’s name it reads “and her unborn child.” Think those babies would be 11-year-old tweens.

  On February 26 1993, Bruce would be doing something in the basement and I would turn on the television to watch the 12 o’clock news. Towards the end of the report they would announce that a bomb had gone off at the WTC. I would yell down the stairs “A bomb went off at the World Trade Center.” Bruce would bound up the stairs and stand it front of the television and state in true firefighter fashion “I can’t believe it! I missed the big one.” No actually you didn’t 🙂

  Let us not forget that many who got out of the Twin Towers safely twenty years ago today would be killed on September 11, 2001. As we say a prayer for the families who lost loved ones twenty years ago today, may we also say a prayer for those that got out safely that day but wouldn’t on September 11. And may we remember those who have gotten out twice but live with guilt and memories of things they would prefer to forget.

  “Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.” ~Mary Jean Iron

  Posted in daily life, memories, September 11 | 0 Comments | Tagged respect, September 11

• Tricky Days

  Posted at 7:13 pm by missannsays, on January 18, 2013

  Tricky days that is what my daughters and I call days that should be celebrated – holidays, birthdays, anniversaries but now there is an empty chair or no need to buy a Father’s Day or Birthday card. Today is a tricky day for my uncle and cousins. Today would have been my Auntie Jean’s birthday but she passed away in August.  I sent my uncle and cousins cards this week to acknowledge that I remember that today is Auntie Jean’s birthday. I wrote in the cards that I am thinking and praying for them because I am.

  We all have tricky days. Days that had at one point been for celebrating and for now are for grieving but eventually will be for remembering. Tricky days aren’t just tricky for the person that experienced the loss, they are tricky for their family and friends as well. Sometimes we think we need to say that “amazingly poignant thing” but maybe “I remember” or “I know” is enough. The people in Newtown, CT have many tricky days ahead of them.

  As I was pondering tricky days, I was reminded of when I had the opportunity to share my September 11 story with the “Faces of Hope”. The Faces of Hope were children who were born on September 11, 2001 – one (or twins) to represent each state. A book had been published with their photos in 2002. I met some of those children in early September 2011 right before their 10th birthday. (Actually part of my visit with them was on the Today Show. How weird was that!) I reminded them to not let the attacks of September 11 define them, to remember that they were a wonderful thing that happened on a bad day. I told them I was so glad to meet them because they were truly faces of hope. On sad side note, the little girl that was killed when Gabby Gifford was shot was actually one of the children that was featured in the Faces of Hope book. 😦

  I mention this idea of tricky days for a few of reasons. First we don’t always know if today is a tricky day for someone so let’s listen to each other. Second we can’t expect someone to know it is a tricky day for us unless we tell them so let’s talk to each other. Thirdly let’s just cut each other some slack because until I have walked in your shoes, I can’t know what you are going through but I can choose to walk beside you instead of over you.

  Posted in daily life, memories, respect in the real world, September 11, Uncategorized | 5 Comments | Tagged friendship, little things, respect, September 11

• Oops- wrong number!!

  Posted at 11:31 am by missannsays, on November 12, 2012

  New Jersey is my preferred state to purchase gasoline for my car. The price is  cheaper than New York and I don’t have to get out of my car to pump it. I drive a lot so cheaper prices and someone else pumping the gas for me are two things that bring a smile to my face. New Jersey currently has odd/even gas rationing. I am familiar with odd/even gas rationing because in the 1970’s I was the family member responsible for sitting in line for gas. As the oldest child, I was the first one to start driving so those little errands of “running uptown to get another gallon of milk” or “taking the car to get gas” became my job. I have memories of taking my mom’s car one day and my dad’s car the next day.

  Last Friday, Nov 9, I “needed gas” so I decided to visit my mom and do some errands in NJ before heading to jury duty in Newburgh. As a side note, all the cases were settled and all the prospective jurors were released from duty. Anyway, I was confident my license plate was odd 8299 so I pulled up to get gas. No real lines. I had cash so it is even cheaper. All is well. The attendant fills my tank and I am off and running. I am so glad I have enough fuel to accomplish the task at hand and drive into NYC on Sunday afternoon.  Fast forward two days. Yesterday as I am leaving church, I glanced at my license plate. Oops!! My license plate number is 8290. Oh, my!! I got gas illegally on Friday.

  So I start thinking about this whole dilemma. First I am amazed that I was actually able to fill up on Friday. I assume the attendant thought the 9 was the last number and the zero was an O. Hopefully he knew zero is an even number. I am a rule follower by nature so there is moment when I am concerned that I have broken the law. I realize that obviously the gas police aren’t going to track me now. But there is another moment which I am not proud to mention that I thought “wow, this could really work for me.”  I may actually be able to get gas again on an odd day instead of an even especially if the attendant isn’t paying attention.  And then I thought but now I know. It was an accident that I was sold fuel on Friday but if I get in line again on an odd day I will have full knowledge of what I am doing. And knowing “what I am doing” is a whole different thing. 🙂

  Posted in daily life, respect in the real world | 0 Comments | Tagged little things, respect

• Jury Duty

  Posted at 7:03 pm by missannsays, on November 8, 2012

  “I swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” The following story is true. At the beginning of January 2012 I received a “jury summons” for February 14.  I decided to postpone my service since Tween Winter Camp was scheduled for the end of that week and as the director of that camp I knew it could become problematic if I was actually placed on a jury. It was simple  enough to go online and reschedule for April 16. Fast forward to April 16 at 1:30am. A phone call informs me my mother has fallen and is being transported to Valley Hospital Emergency Room. I get dressed, grab my phone and my jury summons and head to Valley Hospital.  I am not sure what the day will hold but know that I need to be there for my mom but also I don’t want to “just not show up” for jury duty. I will comment later to my sister (a lawyer/judge) that I was afraid of a bench warrant being issued because I was a no-show. She chuckles and says she wished everyone took it that seriously.

  Thankfully things go smoothly and my mom is admitted to a room very early in the morning.  I make sure she is settled and around 6:30 am drive home to quickly change my clothes so I can look respectable to report for jury duty.  As the jury selection process begins I hand in my summons  and  I inform the clerk that my mother has just been admitted to the hospital and she excuses me and wishes me luck.

  Fast forward again to mid August. Surprise, jury summons arrives in the mail. Now there is only one day that would be problematic for the whole month of September. That date is September 10 because I am scheduled for gall bladder surgery. Not my choice of dates but  that was the first date the surgeon had. Anyway you guessed it. September 10 is the date I am scheduled to report for jury duty. I try to postpone on-line but I can’t because I have postponed two times before so the next day I call. I start the conversation my telling the woman that everything I am telling her is true – camp, mother, surgery. Her reaction is “oh, my! let me reschedule you for March.” I paused and said could you just reschedule me for November. She is surprised I want to come in November. Yes, November is fine. What I am not telling her is I already know there is a conference I want to attend in March. She nicely says” I will schedule you for the week of November 5. November 6 is Election Day so you will only have to serve 4 days.” Thank you.

  And two weeks ago the jury summons came to remind me I was scheduled for the week of November 5. In the State of New York, you have to call the night before to see if you need to report the next day. If you don’t have to appear you, call every day until your number comes up. Well, that makes it a little difficult to plan your week so I actually hadn’t scheduled tours or anything because who knew. When I called Friday night, I was hoping I would be required to show up on Monday because at that point I had no electric and at least the courthouse would be warm. I didn’t have to report on Monday. When I called Monday night they said no court on Tuesday or Wednesday. I called on Wednesday night and they said no court on Thursday. I called this evening and I have to report tomorrow at 2pm in Newburgh. To be honest, I am not a happy camper. I am trying to have a good attitude but really I was willing to go anytime this week and I have to go for the last 2 hours of the week. On the other hand, let’s  hope nothing weird happens between now and 2pm tomorrow because I need to finally do my civic duty. Will let you know how it goes.

  Posted in daily life, memories, relationships, respect in the real world | 0 Comments | Tagged little things, respect

• rescue to recovery

  Posted at 7:45 pm by missannsays, on September 18, 2012

  We would be invited by the FDNY to a meeting in the city on Tuesday September 18,2001. The weird thing is there are some things about that meeting that are forever etched in my mind but there are other details  I can’t remember at all. For  example, I can vividly remember walking out of the Fire Zone, seeing a full size bus, boarding the bus and being driven basically around the block. On the other end of the spectrum, I have no memory of where my youngest daughter was while I attended the meeting.

  Squad 41 had wanted to send a van to pick us up but we decided that my bff ‘s hubby, T would drive my sister, my older daughter and I into the city. We were suppose to meet at one of the designated locations and then would be transported to the meeting. I guess the idea was to keep the press away and protect our privacy. As we approached the George Washington Bridge, I remember there were men in full military garb holding the biggest guns I had ever seen. I remember thinking “this is the United States of America; we don’t have military on our bridges.” The traffic was moving very slow. I think there was a giant flag hanging on the bridge but that could be a memory from another time.  And as I glanced at the skyline, I couldn’t figure out where the Twin Towers had stood. We discussed their placement on the island and couldn’t figure it out.  My sister commented “I thought there would be a cut out where they had been.”  It was so very strange to see the new skyline.

  We reported to the designated meeting place, we had chosen “The Fire Zone” at Rockefeller Center.  Everyone was so very kind – did we want something to eat or drink, could they do anything for us. A full size bus would arrive complete with police escort and men “talking into their sleeves.” It was like we were in some B rated movie. We boarded the bus and were transported to a hotel only a few blocks away. We disembarked, rode the escalator up to the next floor and were ushered into the grand ballroom which was outfitted with round tables and chairs. We chose a table to sit at and introduced ourselves to the other people at the table. There was a woman, her young adult son and daughter. Her husband was very high-ranking in the FDNY. There was another young woman whose fiancé was a firefighter. We compared notes on what we each knew about our loved ones and what we thought the meeting was going to reveal. I remember Governor Pataki was walking around and greeting people. He was very tall and seemed sincere as he spoke to many people.  Governor Pataki would mention  that his dad had been a long time volunteer firefighter. I remember my sister and I discussed how casually dressed some people were in comparison to other people.  There were people in shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops and other people in business attire. I had carefully chosen what I was wearing.   Knowing that I was attending a meeting with the governor, mayor and chief of the FDNY, I wanted to represent my husband in a way that was honoring to my position as a firefighter’s wife.

  The whole meeting was surreal. The purpose of the meeting was to inform us that the mission was going from rescue to recovery followed by a question and answer time. There was discussion about DNA samples and opportunity to give a DNA before you left. In the years since that meeting, some FDNY widows have come to call it “the leave your DNA at the door” meeting. Sorry if that sounded really bad but sometimes you have to acknowledge the absurdity of the entire situation. My sister would investigate if there was another option of giving DNA that would be more private. She found out that we could take my daughter to a lab near where we lived which definitely seemed like a better idea.

  This would be the first time I would see the other wives from Squad 41. I had spoken to some of the other wives on the phone but hadn’t seen them until this meeting. These were women who I knew because our husbands worked together. I would have seen them maybe twice a year. But here we were “thrown together” by the most unbelievable set of circumstances. So we didn’t really know each other expect for the annual Christmas party and summer picnic. One of the other wives would comment “I will be praying for you.” And that moment I did something I had never done before in my entire life, I said “why don’t we pray right now.” She went to get her family and I went to get my bff’s hubby and announced to him “you need to pray.” This part I remember so vividly even though it seemed like an out-of-body experience – standing in a crowd, noisy NYC hotel ballroom, holding hands with my family and my Squad 41 family, T starting to pray and all the other sounds of the ballroom melting away and it was just T’s voice beseeching God for His peace and favor and thanking God for His gifts of life and love. It is one of the most profound moments of my life.

  On September 18, 2001, I didn’t really totally comprehend what “going from rescue to recovery” meant. But I did know that I needed to take the next step. We as a family needed to move from believing there would be a rescue to setting our lives for recovery. And within a few days, I would have what at the time I thought was the hardest conversation of my life. That however is a story for another day.

  Posted in faith, memories, September 11, then & now | 2 Comments | Tagged following Jesus, respect, September 11

• R. Bruce Van Hine

  Posted at 7:00 am by missannsays, on September 10, 2012

  He would enter this world on July 25, 1953. He was given the name Richard Bruce Van Hine but he was called Bruce. He was the second child in the family, the only son. His mom celebrates her 94 birthday the end of this week. His dad died 21 years ago this November. His older sister lives in the mid west with her husband. Her grown children are married and have children and live in Colorado, Chicago and Minnesota. He had many aunts and uncles and lots of cousins. When he was young, he didn’t like school and his parents were told by his teachers that he was lazy. Upon graduation from high school, he would work as a lineman for the telephone company.  And when he received a high draft number, he would enlist in the Navy.  In the spring of 1975, he would be honorably discharged from the Navy and use all the money he had saved to buy a Porsche 914.  And he would appear on my doorstep in September of 1975.

  He was the friend of a friend. After our first date, I would tell that friend of a friend that Bruce was a “creep”.  Through the years the joke would become that he was a still “a creep” but  he was “my creep”.  We would be married on June 14, 1980. He would start his own tree business and eventually pursue his dream of being a real firefighter, a New York City firefighter. He would register to take the FDNY test one month before he would have been too old to qualify. He would take the written test, the physical test, go through the psychological testing and be given a place on the list. And then that list would be in the courts for 8 years and his dream would be on hold. One funny anecdote from the psychological testing. The psychologist would ask Bruce if he had any siblings. Bruce would respond “yes”. “where is your sister?” “in Leavenworth” The doctor would pause and then say “is she incarcerated there?” “No she lives there with her family”. That was Bruce always the wise guy. When Bruce told me the story I couldn’t believe he had said that. He thought it was amusing. He would eventually be hired as a New York City firefighter. He would also work at his tree jobs. And play a major role in raising our daughters.

  Bruce loved to be outdoors. He enjoyed scuba diving, hunting and  hiking. He tried his hand at skiing but that wasn’t really his thing. He wasn’t a big reader but he did enjoy Bill Bryson book “A Walk in the Woods” about two non hikers through hiking the Appalachian Trail.  That was another dream of his to through hike the Appalachian Trail.  He enjoyed family vacations and we took some great, inexpensive vacations. Mostly camping trips – tent camping, then we graduated to a pop up and eventually we got a trailer.

  He had no problem with being Mr Clark at my dance studio. I added Van Hine to my maiden name when we married. But I was Ann Clark at my studio. I actually was never Mrs Van Hine until after Bruce died. Kind of weird when you think about it. At one point in our marriage, I was the Sunday School Superintendent at our local church as well as the District Children’s Ministries Director for  Metro New York . One day for some bizarre reason I said to Bruce “you know you really should get a ministry” And without missing a beat he said to me “I have a ministry”. “You do. What?” “You are my ministry” and with that he walked calming out of the room. And I realized that I was able to do all the things I was doing because Bruce was giving me his unbridled support, encouragement and love.

  On February 26, 1993, Bruce was working on something in the basement. I would turn the television on to watch noontime news and hear that there had been an explosion at the World Trade Center. I would yell that information down the stairs to Bruce. He would come bounding up the stairs, listen to the report on the television and in true firefighter fashion say “I can’t believe I missed the big one.”

  In August of 2001, Bruce would escort his mother to her granddaughter, his niece’s wedding in Chicago. At that wedding he would see his sister, his one niece and her groom, his two nephews and their future spouses. At the end of August, he would spend the night on the AP trail. And during that weekend he would finish the Connecticut piece of the trail leaving a Bible in a plastic bag in the trail shelter. By doing day hikes through the years, he completed the NJ, NY, PA and CT sections of the trail.

  And on September 11, 2001,  Squad 41 would be sent to Manhattan to relocate at Squad 18 but on the way there the second plane would hit the WTC and they would go directly to the WTC site. They would enter #2 WTC and get pretty high up into the tower when they would come across injured civilians. They would start to bring those civilians down as the building collapsed. That scenario wouldn’t be known until many months after the attacks. The FDNY knew Squad 41 had been dispatched but they didn’t know which tower they had gone in, etc..   At some point during that first week after September 11, I had a dream. In my dream Bruce was in the towers and he realized the building was collapsing and he tried even harder to get people to “move” and then he whispered that he loved his girls (that is what he called me and our two daughters) and he was face to face with God. He would enter eternity on September 11, 2001.

  People have said that R. Bruce Van Hine was a hero. He wouldn’t like that word. He would say he was just doing his job, a job that he loved.  He got to be the real firefighter that he always wanted to be. He is missed but his legacy of faith, family, friends and living your calling will be told to the next generation.

  Posted in faith, memories, September 11 | 25 Comments | Tagged respect, September 11, telling the next generation

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