As so many today, I’m remembering and reflecting on the 11th day of September, 2001. There are so many emotions going through my head while watching the memorial ceremonies today. The one image that is resonating with me is the memorial at ground zero where the reflecting pools mark the footprints of the two towers.
The lead architect designer, Michael Arad, refers to the reflection pools as the voids. For 10 years there has been a tremendous void in the lives of the friends and families of the victims. For the survivors and the rest of the world, there was a void left behind. Today, that “void” is the closure so many needed over the last decade. Today, that “void” is filled with love, memories, and tributes to life.
I have a paradigm shift for that word. My conatation for that word has shifted to a beautiful picture of what America is made of…that is hope, justice, perseverance, love, determination and strength. No matter the amount of terror anyone tries to inflict on our land…that will never be left void.
It was one year ago today that I wrote this post. It seems like it was a decade ago because since then we have celebrated life with my little princess every chance we had. It’s always good to remember what God has pulled you through. Where His touch was undeniable. This is one of those moments. Today I reflect on all the emotions of that day, and celebrate the life that I will pick up and hug in just a few minutes.
So, without further a’ dieu…here is an encore post (it originally was on my old blog site) from one year ago today when life came to a screeching pause and hung in the balance for some long minutes.
—————-
I’ve always liked Sting and a the musical works he’s pumped out over the years. From The Police on through to his solo albums. One song that has resonated with me is the music video above “Fragile.” Tonight that song took on a whole new perspective for me…one that will remain for life.
The last thing you think about as you’re corralling your 5 year old off the t-ball practice field is the fragility of life. Tonight that changed. I turned from the baseball field to find my 2 year old daughter underneath the bleachers with a crowd around her. Her life came to a screeching stop when she fell off the bleachers to the hard ground below. As she lie there stiff and unconscious, I started to see how fragile we are.
It’s crazy how seconds feel like minutes in those moments. When it feels like life and death are balancing before you, that is when the world turns slower. When you look down at your own child and see life slipping away…that is when you feel the weight of the moment…that is when you realize how fragile we are.
The last thing I thought I would do tonight was give my daughter mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It never crossed my mind that I would be desperately listening to her little chest for a heart beat and checking to see if she could breathe. The older they get, the more kids you have, the more you forget how fragile we are.
I can’t express the relief I felt when that first breath was taken…that first little cough…that first sign of life coming back. We weren’t out of the darkness yet, but it brought hope. As I scooped her up and sped off with Wendy to the hospital I lost my stomach and heart every time I looked over to see my lil Sydney-Boo’s eyes roll back in her head. I couldn’t drive fast enough…I couldn’t do anything but watch the minutes tick and realize how fragile we are.
Tonight could have ended in so many ways. Tonight could have been a beginning of a nightmare. Tonight could have ended with bad news from x-rays and CT scans. But tonight became a reminder of how much I have to be thankful for…lest I forget how fragile we are.
It's graduation season, so a few relevant links about school, students and our future: Here's the audio of an interview I did with PlayBuffet My TEDx talk about education And a reminder about Stop Stealing Dreams, a free manifesto that... […]
