Remembering

Remembering is one way we say thank you.  It is also one way we honor those gone before us.  It is also a good way to stay in love.  Remembering gives value to the memory.  It is the most natural way to relive and revive sentiments, good or bad.

Ten years ago right now, Brent, Olivia and I were in Cuba, in a friend's house, sitting, then standing, then sitting again on their hard, uncomfortable furniture.   I was weeping, Brent was somber and Olivia, playing at our feet, was oblivious to our shock.  On clear days in Cuba, radio waves from Miami reach the island.  That morning, Brent had been listening to Miami news on our small radio, when he called me to the kitchen and told me to listen.  We both sat down and listened to Dan Rather as the unimaginable events of that day unfolded.  Being in Cuba, and at the time, the only Americans there that we knew of, we were unsure what to think.  It became obvious very quickly that our country was under attack, so we nervously walked to our friend's house who had a satellite dish so we could see for ourselves what was going on.  Our friends were out of the country, so we explained to their landlord the situation and asked her if she would please let us in so we could watch their tv.  She very kindly unlocked the door for us and stood watching with us for several minutes.  The Cuban people wouldn't know anything about this until the 8 o'clock news that night, and then, only a brief, edited version.

I have thought about that day every September 11 for the past 10 years, as have thousands of others, I'm sure.  Today, I can hardly bear to watch the news and relive that day and I didn't even lose anyone I knew.  I don't remember because it's easy or fun.  I remember because it was a day that changed history in this country and the world, and because it's my small way of honoring the memory of those lost that day.

God bless America.