Looking over my previous posts about September 11, which seem to grow like mushrooms as I add links, I see that last year I said:I turn on the TV and watch as the plane slowly flies into the Tower.
Hail Mary, full of grace
My daughter wanders downstairs, shoes in hand,
Turns to look at what has me transfixed on a weekday morning.
The Lord is with thee.
"Where is that, Mommy?" she asks.
Blessed are you among women
"New York," I answer. She nods. The name is familiar,
Like Venus,
Like Mars
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
"Do we know anyone there?" Her eyes are blue and full of innocent concern.
Jesus.
"No," I answer, thinking of friends, family, business associates, safe here.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
She has seen the green glass tower where I work,
Tucked amongst taller builders.
Pray for us sinners
But a skyscraper in one city looks much like one in the next.
Now
"Where's the tallest building in the United States?"
And at the hour of our death.
"Chicago."
Amen.
My daughter looks relieved.
I see that the year before last, I got an email last week mentioning that a deadline was September 11. Maybe it's silly but seeing that date attached to a deadline shocked me. No reason not to have it be a deadline but it seemed ... somehow ... irreverent to have the usual business of the day on that date.Today I realized there was something more shocking. In the press of my unusually busy life lately, I completely forgot September 11 myself. I don't think that I had reason to look at a calendar beyond any particular day but in the past I would have seen the 8th, the 9th, the 10th as they came and have been bracing myself mentally for that fateful 11th memorial date. Not this year. I was completely startled when the front page of the newspaper reminded me of the larger meaning behind this date.
It is that which made me linger especially over last year's post, remembering it all.
I would say that if there is one thing I would recommend from that post it is reading Heather Ordover's memory of surviving that holocaust. I know her as personally as one can via frequent emails and listening to her wonderful podcast, CraftLit. She does not dwell on those memories but they are never far away as she struggles regularly with respiratory problems that resulted from breathing ashes during her ordeal.
Obviously my forgetfulness means I was not part of this year's Project 2,996 but many were not so forgetful (and I have signed up for reminders to be sent).
Heather has a lovely memorial for a victim
The Anchoress has a thoughtful meditation about eight years afterward.
Deacon Greg has a prayer from Archbishop Foley.
First Things features a remembrance from a young man whose first day at work in downtown Manhattan was on that fateful day.
Maureen has a prayer for the dead.
March Hare (author of the piece at the beginning of this post) has a memorial for one of the victims.
Whispers in the Loggia has Pope Benedict's prayer from Ground Zero.
Catholic Mom gives us the military wife perspective and also looks at private memory versus history lesson.
Update
Links added above as I come across them.
Also, I was searching in vain for my post when I did participate in Project 2,996. I remembered so many details about that fireman but none of them yielded his name (or the post) to my search. I cannot thank his cousin enough for speaking up with his name in the comments here. I now can honor again Captain Daniel O'Callaghan. I have tagged his post so he will not be "lost" in my archives again.
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