Remembrance and Resolve

Blog posts all over the country will be pretty somber today.  As well they should be. I think today is a time for remembrance and resolve.

First, the remembrance.

Nearly 3000 bloggers have gotten together in the 2996 project (this is a mirror site - the original exceeded its bandwidth) to individually honor and remember the victims. If you have a few minutes to check them out, they are well worth reading.

One that I went to right away was for my friend Brady Howell, who was killed in the attack on the Pentagon when terrorists aboard American Flight 77 snuffed out the lives of over 100 people. Brady was 26 years old, and working as a civilian in the Naval intelligence office. He was hilarious, brilliant, and a little kid-like. He was a faithful member of the LDS church, and served a full-time mission in the Canary Islands.

I remember jumping on his trampoline, going toilet-papering (and yeah, getting caught by his dad), hanging out on Sunday afternoons and watching scary movies on Friday nights with our group of friends. He had an infectious laugh and an easy-going attitude. He was the Student Body President at Sugar-Salem High School in 92-93, and I was his campaign manager. Mostly I was just his friend, and will always be. Here’s a link to the Wikipedia entry for him.

Today I will think about him, and his joyful life. I’ll say a prayer for his wife, Liz, and for his family.  And I’ll remember. Brady, you will never be forgotten.

Now, the resolve.

I was struck by a blog post I read this morning by Michelle Malkin. She has translated a bit of Arabic script on her site that she calls her  “9/11 anniversary message” :  It means “I will not surrender/I will not submit.” I’ve watched the news reels and seen the photos and relived the horror and fear of that day. I really thought that the world was ending, and I remember hearing that 50,000 people worked in the Trade Center and so many were unaccounted for. In the end, less than 3,000 never made their escape, but even ONE is too many. Even one life cut short is too many.

Your political bent might not be the same as mine, and that is ok. But today is a day - not necessarily for political resolve, unless that is what keeps you going - but for resolving in my personal life to do things a little better. To recognize that there is fear in the world, and to keep living anyway. To keep the memory alive and go forward to better things, trying harder to be better every day. This is my resolve.

And one last note. As a scrapbooker, I’m struck now that most of what we have to remember the victims of that terrible day of tragedgy - are photos. Most of the photos I’ve seen of the victims aren’t professionally posed headshots, but family pictures - grainy, out of focus, poorly lit. And I know that they are easily among the most precious things those families have, and that we as a nation have, in order to Never Forget.  Photos of times that cannot be reclaimed are imbued with an almost tangible power. And indeed, every moment that passes is one that cannot be reclaimed.

So if you happen to scrapbook (or even if you happen to own a camera), let’s go take a few photos of loved ones today. They will become infinitely precious to someone someday—whether blurry, or poorly lit, or perfect. I’d love to see what you shoot if you’d like to link me up.

Thanks for reading this. If you have a remembrance or tribute on your blog, post the link here and I’ll head over and read it. 9/11 will always be, for me, a day of remembering. 

Comments

[Monique]

I just wanted to say how sorry I am that you lost your friend. I lived then, as I do now, right by the Pentagon. Even today, the most indelible images in my mind are from the devastation there as I (at first) could not drive by to see it and later as I watched it being rebuilt. I remember watching the Pentagon burn that night with my husband who was at home when it happened, felt and heard the plane as it shook the windows and then the explosion. He raced up to the sundeck on the roof immediately to see what had happened. I will pray for your friend's family and you today and for all those who lost their lives or a loved one.

[Jane Hasty]

You said it Jess. Thanks, Jane

[katie]

hey Jessica--didn't realize you lost someone on 9/11--I'll be thinking of you today! I posted on my blog about a little bit about what I went thru myself that day. tough day. I've had to keep the tv off--kept making me tear up.

btw--love the pictures of the kids in the previous post!! :)

[Debi B.]

Great post, Jessica... very well said. And, no... I will not forget. And, no... I will not stop taking photos and preserving memories. :)

[Lady Jane]

Jessica,
Thank you for visiting my tribute to Betty Ong!

What a beautiful tribute to your friend Brady! I am so sorry!

[Katie]

We must never forget...what a great post...you said it so perfectly. I created this LO tonight to remember:
http://www.digishoptalk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=20546&cat=500&ppuser=383

[Peg Graham]

Jessica- That was a wonderful tribute to your friend, Brady. He will not be forgotten.

biggest hugs-
Peg

[michele]

jes, i'm so sorry for the loss of your friend. his family is in my thoughts and prayers tonight. i blogged about this anniversary too ... as a journalist, as an american, as a parent - what this day means. i don't think anyone can ignore or be complacent about this date. ever.

[Carol]

I will never forget Sept 11th. It will alway come the day after my birthday. I'll never forget driving to work that day after my family party for my birthday thinking how much I loved my family and what a beautiful day it was. Then all hell broke loose. It was a terrible day. So many people lost their family members. I remember praying for them. I still do - the day after my birthday.

[Barbara Stevenson]

Jessica,
So sorry to hear about your friend Brady. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the people who parished on that infamous day; we will never forget...

[KellyS]

I am so sorry to hear that you lost your friend. Your words of reflection are very moving, and I couldn't agree with you more. Thanks so much for sharing!

[Jennie]

I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend. That horrible day is forever etched in my mind. I can barely stand to watch the videos because the feelings are still so strong. My entry was simple, but hearfelt.
Jennie

[Liz Ness]

Beautifully said and what an lovely way to honor your friend and his family.

My focus yesterday was turned inward. For me, the day was both a time to remember and reflect; a chance to consider how I can be a better person. Like yours, it is focused on resolution. It is here:

http://lizness.typepad.com/a_little_life/2006/09/a_resolution.html

[Ananke]

I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. So many good people were lost that day. What a wonderful way to honor his memory.

[Share :)]

I'm glad you put this post up about our fun Brady. I had forgotten about the toilet papering and getting caught by Pres. Howell - how funny! I tend to remember the hair cookies we made him one Sunday. What fun we had back then. Thanks for finding the additional tributes about him. I had no idea his dream was to get top secret clearance - awesome! I will never forget.

[Rita]

I'm so sorry about your friend. What a beatyfull tribute to him and all the other victims of 9/11. They will not be forgotten.

Thank you for another great PS friday - I love them!!