My prayers and thoughts go out to all of those who died on September 11, 2001, whether in NYC, Washington DC or in a field near Somerset, PA. May their Memory be for a Loving Blessing.

My prayers and thoughts also go out to all of the survivors of September 11th, no matter who they are, what profession they were in at the time, where they were located, etc., whether they survived the destruction, etc., or whether they are family members and loved ones of those victims who died on that dreadful and devastating day.

I was in my car on my way to work, in CA, that morning (5:45 a.m. PST), and heard the music on the radio being broken into with the horrible news. I’m sure most of us can remember where we were when we heard what happened. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. When I got to work, I ran into my office at NASA, turned on the TV, and stared in shock at the horror. I was stunned.

It was difficult to work that day for me and for my coworkers. We kept an eye on the TV all day long, and couldn’t really concentrate on work-related issues.

Please take a moment to remember them all at 8:45 a.m. EST.

I have a book that I purchased a few years ago, at the Skirball Cultural Center, while at an exhibit (of the same name as the book) in Los Angeles, CA, entitled “The Faces of Ground Zero. The book is by Joe McNally”. I will open its pages today, and reflect on that tragic day in U.S. history. You can read about the book, The Faces of Ground Zero, here. You can also see some of the faces within the book here.

National September 11th Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center

New York Times

Washington Post

BBC News

The September 11th Digital Archive

Newseum

~~~~~~

This poem, by one of my favorite poets, Merrit Malloy, always evokes emotion in me…and is thought-provoking on many levels.

Epitaph

When I die
Give what’s left of me away
To children
And old men that wait to die.
And if you need to cry,
Cry for your brother
Walking the street beside you.
And when you need me,
Put your arms
Around anyone
And give them
What you need to give to me.

I want to leave you something,
Something better
Than words
Or sounds.

Look for me
In the people I’ve known
Or loved,
And if you cannot give me away,
At least let me live on your eyes
And not on your mind.

You can love me most
By letting
Hands touch hands,
By letting
Bodies touch bodies,
And by letting go
Of children
That need to be free.

Love doesn’t die,
People do.
So, when all that’s left of me
Is love,
Give me away.

~~~~~~

Jew Wishes…Peace to you all.
© Copyright 2007 – All Rights Reserved – No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my express written consent/permission.