September 11 and "The Stairwell"

This day brings back so many memories, reopens wounds that never seem to heal.  What in some ways seems a lifetime ago, in others, only yesterday...

I was 6 months pregnant with our 3rd child.  I had just returned from dropping off our oldest, who was almost 3 1/2 at his first day of preschool.  He was so proud!  The 2 year old and I were just settling down to watch an episode of Sesame Street together when the phone rang.  My life, as did all of yours, changed at that very moment.  My dad had called and told me to turn on theTV.  At work, he had seen on his computer what many were thinking was a freak accident with the first tower being hit. 

No one could have imagined what was going to take place.  I turned on the set and saw the 2nd plane hit live.  I will never forget those images as long as I live.  Seeing it all happen unedited and unexpectedly; hearing the screams of even the newscasters seeing many fall to their deaths still haunts me today.  I phoned everyone, probably as some subconscious defense mechanism to know that they were all ok.  I even awoke my family out west so they would know what was going on.  My dad, working for a university and my mom, working for the government, were both evacuated.  My mom wanted to come be with the kids and I.  She made it out on the last train out of the city before they, too, were shut down.  It took my dad a couple of hours to drive the short distance from his job to our home.  My husband, continued to work, fulfilling the slogan that the "mail must go on," but he and I just knew that this changed everything, as well, with him being in the military.

The eerie silence filled the skies those next few days.  I was comforted, somehow, by putting candles out on my porch and seeing the street fill with flags.   That was in the few minutes that I didn't spend in front of the television.  I probably didn't sleep for a week.  I couldn't. 

I felt the call to my generation, the call that my grandparents' generation answered with valor, bravery and courage, whether on the battlefield or the homefront.  I remember my grandmother's stories about where she was when Pearl Harbor was hit.  They shared them with each other as we are sharing now.  That call would culminate in my husband's deployment to Iraq a year and half later.

Perhaps I have always felt it.  Maybe being born and raised in the city where our nation was born influenced me, as did coming of age during the Reagan Revolution and then becoming an American history teacher.  I have always had a deep love for my country, one that permeates my very being.  My father served this great nation, as my husband has, and continues to do.  I have studied and taught the morals and values upon which this nation was founded and espouse them.  The Judeo-Christian heritage of this great land is one to be proud of, one that inspired the founders, and has continued to inspire countless nations and peoples over the last 200+ years.  Much sacrifice has been made for us to have the freedoms we so take for granted.  Each generation is called and must sacrifice for this "great experiment in liberty" to continue.  We, as a nation, did rise to the challenge, taking the black eye, but coming together and unifying as one people to mourn, comfort and yes, fight the foe.  Even more inspiring was how many turned to God.

It is natural to turn to the Lord during times of trouble and I'm sure His presence comforted many.  We all questioned "why" as even my oldest asked me today.  He seemed to understand that God never wills "bad people" to hurt others; that isn't possible.  But, yes He allows it due to the gift He gave us called free will; He will always bring good out of evil, however.  That is little solace, sometimes, when there is immeasureable grief.  We do have to admit, however, that our spirits were lifted by the good we saw come out of the tragedy-- the unity, outpouring of love and support, the willingness to help and pray for others.  I have always believed that people's true colors are brightest during the toughest of times.

The video below was posted today on a dear friend's blog.  It touched me deeply.  It depicts, to images of that day, a letter written to us from God Himself about the events and about our lives.  I thought it so very appropriate to share.  God bless America and the servicemen and women who serve her.


The Stairwell

A Fun Afternoon

After having a busy day with their schoolwork on Thursday, I took the kiddos to a local park.  It was a beautiful almost-Fall day.  If the aeronautics career path doesn't work out for our oldest, lol, he will definitely have a backup in photography. He took most of the individual photos with the greenery in the background and was very conscious of the lighting and background, trying to find what we would be "just right."  He has a good eye.  :-)

The fun afternoon ended with a stop at the Philly Pretzel Factory, which is always a hit! :-)

Summer Camp Photos

A photographer came to my kiddo's summer camp last month.  The backgrounds look so real! It certainly got my kids in the mood for going down the shore, which they enjoyed immensely, btw!  :-) The portraits are a nice change from the more formal ones taken in the fall, when they are usually in their "Sunday best" and all groomed to perfection.  :-)

Quotes

As many of my friends on Facebook see everyday, I like to post quotes that touch my heart and soul; ones that have an important spiritual or moral message.  I have put together some of my most recent favorites:

"We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution.  Each of us is the result of a thought of God.  Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary."-- Pope Benedict XVI

"Only God can turn a MESS into a MESSage, a TEST into a TESTimony, a TRIal into a TRIumph, a VICTim into a VICTory.  God is GOOD all the time."-- unknown

"Having a clear faith, based on the creed of the Church, is often labeled today as a fundamentalism.  Whereas relativism, which is letting oneself be tossed and 'swept along by every wind of teaching,' looks like the only attitude acceptable to today's standards."--Pope Benedict XVI

"Most people can do extraordinary things if they have the confidence or take the risks.  Yet most people don't.  They sit in front of the telly and treat life as if it goes on forever."--Philip Adams

"Avoid those in your presence who are not ashamed to make use of scandalous words and expressions of double meaning."--St. John Bosco

"Children are a great blessing to grown-ups not simply because of the joy, the wonder and the incredible privilege of caring for a young soul that they provide.  Children are also a blessing because they are a kind of living alarm clock, telling us that it is time to wake up and seize the day.  The chain of generations has added another link, the cycle of life has come round again, and it is time to get busy.  They remind us, just by being there, that time is irrevocably passing by-- time that we can never get back again."-- Colin Mason

"Not to oppose error is to approve it; and not to defend truth is to suppress it, and indeed to neglect to confound evil men when we can do so is not less a sin that to encourage them."--Pope St. Felix III

"Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush, anxious for greater developments and greater riches and so on, so that children have very little time for their parents.  Parents have very little time for each other, and in the home begins the disruptions of peace in the world."-- Bl. Teresa of Calcutta

"The Bible calls debt a curse, and children a blessing.  In our society, we apply for a curse and reject blessings.  What is wrong with this picture?"-- Doug Phillips

"Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking.  There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught."-- J.C. Watts

"I know in my heart that man is good.  that what is right will always eventually triumph.  And there's purpose and worth to each and every life."-- Ronald Reagan

"Parents aren't supposed to make things easier for kids.  Instead, they are supposed to present, monitor and modulate challenges.  The great success stories in our world come about when parents and their children learn to turn straight into the wind and gain satisfaction from marching against its ever-increasing force."-- David Shenk

"You must remember to love people and use things rather than to love things and use people."-- Fulton J. Sheen

"Every child born into the world is a new thought of God, an ever fresh and radiant possibility." -- Kate Douglas Wiggins

"When someone asks you 'think about what Jesus would do,' remember that a valid option is to freak out and turn over tables."--unknown

"Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged."--Ronald Reagan

plenty more to follow!  God bless!  :-)

Happy Memorial Day

I originally posted this back in 2008. It truly bears repeating, as I don't think I could do this day any more justice than I did then.

I truly hope that amidst the barbecues and merriment, that everyone realize the true meaning of the day and take a moment to remember all of those who died to give us the opportunity to have such wonderful festivities with our families, for none of it would be possible without their ultimate sacrifice. As we thank and give tribute to the brave men and women who have died for our freedom here on Earth, let us also remember to thank Jesus. He was the first to sacrifice Himself for our freedom, our eternal freedom.

There is a poem I want to share that means a great deal to me, as a military spouse. I thought it fitting to share it with you today:



I am the wife of an American soldier.


I am a supporter of the United States Army-


an encouragement for the protectors of the greatest nation on earth.


Because I am proud of my husband and the uniform that he wears,


I will always act in ways creditable to him, the military service


and the nation he is sworn to guard.


I am proud of my husband. I will do all that I can to protect


and provide for my family in his absence. I will be loyal to my


husband and to the vows that we made as we entered the


covenant of marriage.


I will do my full part to carry on the values


and goals we have set apart for our family


and I will continue to instruct our children in the same manner.


As a soldier's wife, I realize that I play a vital role


in my husband's decision to become a member of a time-honored


profession-


that I am doing my share to keep alive the principles of freedom


for which my country stands.


No matter what situation I am in, I will never do anything


for pleasure, profit, or personal safety


which will disgrace my husband, his uniform or our country.


I will use every means I have to encourage my husband to be


the best soldier that he can be.


I am proud of my husband, my country, and its flag.


I will fly the flag and will always remember the sacrifices


made by my husband and by generations of men and women


that have served our beloved country.


I will try to make my husband proud of the


manner in which I accept his decision to defend my freedom and


the freedom of all American citizens-


for I am the wife of an American soldier.




May you all have a wonderful Memorial Day.


God bless you and God bless America!

An Email I Received Today....

I find myself guilty of yelling at the kids when all of the "little" things go wrong and we are late in getting wherever we need to go. In fact, it happened this very morning. Then, I read this email. A coincidence? Perhaps. Or just perhaps I need to not sweat the small stuff that I can't control...

The ' L I T T L E ' Things~

As you might remember, the head of a company survived
9/11 because his son started kindergarten.

Another fellow was alive because it was
His turn to bring donuts.

One woman was late because her
Alarm clock didn't go off in time.

One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike
Because of an auto accident.

One of them
Missed his bus.

One spilled food on her clothes and had to take
Time to change.

One's
Car wouldn't start.


One couldn't
Get a taxi.

The one that struck me was the man
Who put on a new pair of shoes that morning,
Took the various means to get to work
But before he got there, he developed
A blister on his foot.

He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid.
That is why he is alive today..


Now when I am
Stuck in traffic ,
Miss an elevator,
Turn back to answer a ringing telephone ...

All the little things that annoy me.
I think to myself,
This is exactly where
God wants me to be
At this very moment..

Next time your morning seems to be
Going wrong ,

The children are slow getting dressed,
You can't seem to find the car keys,
You hit every traffic light,
Don't get mad or frustrated;
It May be just that
God is at work watching over you.

May God continue to bless you
With all those annoying little things
And may you remember their possible purpose.


A M E N

A very special Veteran's Day

Many of you know that my husband has fought in 2 wars. On this day that we salute all who have served our great nation, he spent his day off bringing a part of his military life to our school. I asked him to come in the hope that the children will learn the real meaning of the holiday and appreciate the sacrifices that have been made and continue to be made every day so that they can continue to live free.

It was an awesome surprise for the kids to see a huge Army truck pull up into our parking lot. Hubby took the time to lift each and every child into the truck for pictures. They enjoyed trying on the equipment, too. Of course, climbing up on the truck was a big hit. :-) The pics are of our kids enjoying dad's visit.





















I also designed our hallway bulletin board into a "Wall of Fame." A special form was sent home with each student asking for the name of a family member or friend is (or was) in the military. It is a wonderful tribute and a good lesson for the kids to honor those who love liberty more than life. That is what makes a true hero and they are all around us.

Happy Veteran's Day to all who have served and may God bless you abundantly for what you have done and what you continue to do for our country!!! :-)