Remembering September 11, 2001
Shortly after September 11th, I asked Quote of the Week members to share their thoughts, feelings, meaningful quotes or song lyrics as they reflected on the events of that day. Here is what they shared ...
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From Jesse, a Yeat’s poem that he feels has sensitivity to the tragic events of 9/11
The Second Coming
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, T
he blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all convictions,
while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi Troubles my sight:
somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs,
while all about it Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again;
but now I know That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
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From Ray, a quote from Shakespeare’s Macbeth…
"Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak
Whispers the o'er-fraught heart, and bids it break."
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I chose this poem by William Wordsworth that I thought gave a perspective and found helpful...
Splendour in the Grass
What though the radiancewhich was once so bright
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hourof splendour in the grass of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind;
In the primal sympathy
Which having been must ever be;
In the soothing thoughts that spring
Out of human suffering;
In the faith that looks through death,
In years that bring the philosophic mind.
William Wordsworth
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This Leonard Pitts Column (Miami Herald) sent in by Stephanie and Joe...
THE STEEL IN US
You see, the steel in us is not always readily apparent. That aspect of our character is seldom understood by people who don't know us well. On this day, the family's bickering is put on hold.As Americans we will weep, as Americans we will mourn,and as Americans, we will rise in defense of all thatwe cherish. So I ask again: What was it you hoped to teach us? It occurs to me that maybe you just wanted us to know the depths of your hatred. If that's the case, consider the message received. And take this message in exchange: You don't know my people. You don't know what we're capable of. You don't know what you just started. But you're about to learn.
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Isabelle emailed the Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity,
To accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
Taking, as you did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that you will make all things right if I surrender to your will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with you forever in the next.
Reinhold Niebuhr
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Vicki sent this in memory of all those who perished; the passengers and the pilots on the United Air and AA flights, the workers in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and all the innocent bystanders. Our prayers go out to the friends and families of the deceased.
If I knew If I knew it would be the last time
That I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
and pray the Lord, your soul to keep
If I knew it would be the last time
that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
and call you back for one more.
If I knew it would be the last time
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word,
so I could play them back day after day.
If I knew it would be the last time,
I could spare an extra minute
to stop and say "I love you,"
instead of assuming you would KNOW I do
If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
well I'm sure you'll have so many more,
so I can let just this one slip away.
For surely there's always tomorrow
to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance
to make everything just right.
There will always be another day
to say "I love you," and certainly there's
another chance to say our "Anything I can do?"
But just in case I might be wrong,
and today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you
and I hope we never forget.
Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
you get to hold your loved one tight.
So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
you'll surely regret the day,
That you didn't take that extra time
for a smile, a hug, or a kiss
and you were too busy to grant someone,
what turned out to be their one last wish.
So hold your loved ones close today,
and whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
and that you'll always hold them dear
Take time to say "I'm sorry,"
"Please forgive me," "Thank you," or "It's okay."
And if tomorrow never comes,
you'll have no regrets about today.
Author Unknown
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From Mike comes lyrics from a Phil Ochs song, "Power And The Glory" (1964)
"Here is a land full of power and glory
Beauty that words cannot recall
Oh her power shall rest on the strength of her freedom
Glory shall rest on us all "
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From Jen, a site she found inspiring…
> > >
http://people.delphi.com/andybeals/thankyou.htmAlso, Jen closes all of her emails with the following words:..
"Be Nice Nice is Good"
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From Juta came a quote from Goethe...
"Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes."
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Holly felt the following site was heartbreaking and beautiful many photos;
slow to load, but worth the wait:
>
http://home.earthlink.net/~hankinhsd/thankyou.htm________
From Christine, a poem by Siegfried Sassoon…
"A Post-Mortem"
Searching for souvenirs among some rubble,
A post-atomic-warfare man observed
That "those who made this little bit of trouble
Got only what they asked for and deserved."
Then, in a kindlier afterthought's release,
He pitied "them that only asked for peace."
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From Ruth…
"All things are connected. We did not weave the web of life; we are but a strand in it. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the people of the earth."
Chief Seattle
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Irene's email message…
loved the choice of wordsworth this week, raoul. you're so right about words failing us, but i've found in the last week that, in fact, words have soothed us, comforted us, rallied us. while we were glued to tv sets, we also read everything we could get our hands on; editorials, reports, testimonies, stories, poems. i have to tried to impress upon my class the importance of the written word and nothing has done more to affirm that than this past week. our family has been fortunate as we have not lost a family member or loved one, but we all suffer and grieve with those who have. i have also been heartened by the positive attitude of my 14 year old freshmen who write about fear but also confidence and hope in the country's future. without hope, we are all lost. love to everyone who receives the quote of the week. i will look for more...irene
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And a final quote by Henry David Thoreau …
"The kindness I have longest remembered has been of this sort, the sort unsaid; so far behind the speaker's lips that almost it already lay in my heart. It did not have far to go to be communicated."
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Also attached is a photograph by Sandy take about a week before September 11, 2001 and a drawing by Gabby, the daughter of Quote of the Week member John.
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!
