Remembering....

I woke up this morning at 3AM on the sofa, as I tend to have a habit of doing lately, to the television documentary about the designing and building of the 911 Memorial for the victims of the Pentagon attack. Gary Sinise was the narrator telling the story of that day and how the design of this memorial was intended to remember, as individuals, each of the persons who lost their life that day. Individual people, with lives of their own, with mothers/fathers, husbands/wives, people who loved them dearly. I remember that day vividly, where I was, what I was doing...and did, on my way to my own job in Washington, DC. The voluminous cloud of dark, grey smoke that I watched build and grow taller and taller to my right as I crossed Whitehurst Freeway...and to my left, seeing all of the carpenters/builders lined up, standing on the edges of the rooftops of the highrises they were working on--looking at that same cloud from across the river. We didn't know then that this cloud meant that 184 lives had been taken. The 911 remembrance timeline had begun.

In their design, The Pentagon Memorial designers literally included that timeline and those of the Pentagon victims. The youngest of those individuals, Dana Falkenberg, was only 3 years old. That's what really hit me in the heart--a true innocent lost for no good reason. This child will now be remembered, always, with a memorial attesting to the fact that they had once lived and their life taken too cruelly, too soon. So, too, will I remember that the wife of a Department of Energy colleague will have her own memorial there. I've not gone to the World Trade Center site, nor have I been to the Pentagon Memorial, but I now feel compelled to go. To witness. To remember.

It is truly hard for me to believe that almost ten years have passed since the 911 attacks on our country and our people. We have moved on, as the living must do, and we have tried to bring some sense of normalcy to our daily living. We do this even while the lengths to which we go to protect ourselves from another such attack is, at times, onerous, complicated, invasive, and, yes, sometimes ridiculous. Yet, we must never forget, we must always remember--evil doers are intent on doing evil. We have many Memorials remembering other wars fought, other individuals fallen, all this to honor and validate the cost of living Free. The Pentagon Memorial is the newest memorial. On this weekend that usually heralds the beginning of our Summer fun, I hope that you will take a few moments to remember that we enjoy our life of freedom--to go to the seaside, to take in the sun, to enjoy time with our families because someone cared enough to give their life in order that our Nation continue as the Land of the Free!

How Long is Too Long??

Today I learned a "lesson" from my daughter...the world of story-telling needs to consider the new world of social media. Meaning? Stories should be no longer than 140 characters according to Ms. "Just get to the point!" I can relate...sort of...when I remember how many times I've asked my mother to hurry along a story that she has been telling me (most for the third or fourth time). But really--140 characters! First, I have the speaking habit of many folks living below the Mason-Dixon line--I talk slo-o-o-o-w! That is, according to my daughter who I believe was kidnapped by some family in New York/New Jersey and who secretly endoctrinated her with their speech patterns--"Warp Speed, Mr. Sulu!" I also believe in sharing the details, all of the details, that enrich the story for the listener. At least, I assumed that to be the case--again, incorrectly, according to my impatient listener. For story-tellers, one and all, the dilemma is how to capture and keep the attention of your listener without going on too long and losing them.

So I tried a new approach--"Man, woman, hiking, bad fall, rescued!" Her response?
"Got it--now tell me more!".....Sigh.