Lady Victoria Eclectic Pagan's blog: "In Memory - A 9/11 Survivors Ramblings"

"ONE" As the soot and dirt and ash rained down, We became one color. As we carried each other down the stairs of the burning building, We became one class. As we lit candles of waiting and hope, We became one generation. As the firefighters and police officers fought their way into the inferno, We became one gender. As we fell to our knees in prayer for strength, We became one faith. As we whispered or shouted words of encouragement, We spoke one language. As we gave our blood in lines a mile long, We became one body. As we mourned together the great loss, We became one family. As we cried tears of grief and loss, We became one soul. As we retell with pride of the sacrifice of heroes, We become one people. We are One color One class One generation One gender One faith One language One body One family One soul One people We are The Power of One. We are United. We are America.

A Nation Changed From nowhere the attack came, Death the skies rained. Our Nations eyes filled with fears, As buildings fell like metal tears. With the clearing of the dust, Rang the phrase, "Revenge is a must". Beneath the ruins lay doom, Praying life below the steel grave will bloom. A rush of despair was born on this day, Yet not letting hopes light fade away. Their hearts are filled with blood and hate, Our Nation now holds their fate. Inner emotions set the tone, It flows through everyone, no one is alone. Sorrow and danger in our prayer is spoken, Our Nations spirit will not be broken. Survivors there are so few, Changing the America we once knew. Their memories shall in our hearts remain, America will not yield to the pain.

USS New York It was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center . It is the fifth in a new class of warship - designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft. Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite , LA to cast the ship's bow section. When it was poured into the molds on Sept. 9, 2003, "those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence," recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there. "It was a spiritual moment for everybody there." Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the "hair on my neck stood up." "It had a big meaning to it for all of us," he said. "They knocked us down. They can't keep us down. We're going to be back." The ship's motto? "Never Forget"

I saw this as a bulletin and had to share in a special place to me here... Thank you Lost Soul for the origination of this piece, from the bottom of my heart and sending this - Mystic Snowtiger, Thank you for reposting as I have done the same... Her hair was up in a pony tail, her favorite dress tied with a bow. Today was Daddy's Day at school, and she couldn't wait to go. But her mommy tried to tell her, that she probably should stay home. Why the kids might not understand, if she went to school alone. But she was not afraid; she knew just what to say. What to tell her classmates of why he wasn't there today. But still her mother worried, for her to face this day alone. And that was why once again, she tried to keep her daughter home. But the little girl went to school eager to tell them all. About a dad she never sees; a dad who never calls. There were daddies along the wall in back, for everyone to meet. Children squirming impatiently, anxious in their seats One by one the teacher called a student from the class. To introduce their daddy, as seconds slowly passed. At last the teacher called her name, every child turned to stare. Each of them was searching, for a man who wasn't there. "Where's her daddy at?" she heard a boy call out. "She probably doesn't have one," another student dared to shout. And from somewhere near the back, she heard a daddy say, "Looks like another deadbeat dad, too busy to waste his day." The words did not offend her, as she smiled up at her Mom. And looked back at her teacher, who told her to go on. And with hands behind her back, slowly she began to speak. And out from the mouth of a child, came words incredibly unique. "My Daddy couldn't be here, because he lives so far away. But I know he wishes he could be, since this is such a special day. And though you cannot meet him, I wanted you to know. All about my daddy, and how much he loves me so. He loved to tell me stories he taught me to ride my bike. He surprised me with pink roses, and taught me to fly a kite. We used to share fudge sundaes, and ice cream in a cone. And though you cannot see him. I'm not standing here alone. "Cause my daddy's always with me, even though we are apart I know because he told me, he'll forever be in my heart" With that, her little hand reached up, and lay across her chest. Feeling her own heartbeat, beneath her favorite dress. And from somewhere here in the crowd of dads, her mother stood in tears. Proudly watching her daughter, who was wise beyond her years. For she stood up for the love of a man not in her life. Doing what was best for her, doing what was right. And when she dropped her hand back down, staring straight into the crowd. She finished with a voice so soft, but its message clear and loud. "I love my daddy very much, he's my shining star. And if he could, he'd be here, but heaven's just too far You see he was a firefighter and died just this past year When airplanes hit the towers and taught Americans to fear. But sometimes when I close my eyes, it's like he never went away." And then she closed her eyes, and she saw him there that day. And to her mothers amazement, she witnessed with surprise A room full of daddies and children, all starting to close their eyes. Who knows what they saw before them, who knows what they felt inside. Perhaps for merely a second, they saw him at her side. "I know you're with me Daddy," to the silence she called out. And what happened next made believers, of those once filled with doubt. Not one in that room could explain it, for each of their eyes had been closed. But there on the desk beside her, was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose. And a child was blessed, if only for a moment, by the love of her shining star. And given the gift of believing, that heaven is never too far.

Take Back the Memorial is sending you this message on behalf of The Save the 9/11 Memorial Foundation: Please sign the Save the 9/11 Memorial Petition: http://www.savethe911memorial.com/petition.html September 11th Families Launch National Media Campaign FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - CONTACT: Edith Lutnick (212) 294-7852 January 24, 2007 September 11th Families Kick-off National Campaign Appealing to the American People to Urge Change at Ground Zero Memorial New York, N.Y., January 24, 2007 - Family members of relatives lost in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 representing major 9/11 family organizations held a press conference today in New York City and unveiled a national media campaign asking the American people to help them “Save the 9/11 Memorial” at Ground Zero. Family leaders object to current plans that will list most of the names of 2,979 people who perished in the attacks of 2001 and 1993 without reference to age, affiliation, location and, in the case of uniformed service members, rank. The group plans to place 60 second television ads in New York City markets. The campaign’s first ad, entitled “Missing at the Memorial,” features the familiar images of the missing flyers which were posted all over New York City in the attack’s immediate aftermath by relatives of the victims and which identified their loved ones by age, company, and floor location in the World Trade Center. The flyers became the first spontaneous memorials embraced by the public. The ad says that Mayor R. Bloomberg, chairman of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, wants a “cold, random list of names.” Families and former co-workers contend that the current plan to list victims without any personal references, and in an order intended to appear random, robs victims of the human qualities that rallied and sustained the nation. The 9/11 groups believe that narrative information associated with the names will enable future generations to better appreciate how the historic attacks were actually experienced by the country. “We do not accept that these people died ‘randomly,’ or ‘in no discernable order’ which to future visitors will be exactly the same thing,” said Edith Lutnick, whose brother Gary, 36, worked for the firm of Cantor Fitzgerald on the 104th floor of the North Tower. “Turning human beings into featureless casualties is a distortion of history. Instead of conveying the story of 9/11, this memorial will express the dark point of view of the terrorists who murdered them.” Family members believe that leaving the 2,400 mostly civilian victims without affiliations and in no discernable order, creates a two-tier memorial consisting of flesh and blood people on the one hand and anonymous casualties on the other. The disparity is particularly painful for families of more than 1,000 victims whose remains were never recovered. The families and representatives of uniformed service associations contend that World Trade Center Memorial Foundation is building an extravagant memorial that will not resonate with visitors because it does not convey the attacks in personal terms. They believe that leaving the civilians without identification diminishes the noble sacrifice of first responders because it ignores the people whom they gave their lives to save. Family members said that identifying group affiliations for New York City first responders is a step in the right direction, but stripping them of their rank is a slap in the face to their service and sacrifice. 100 officers, including Chief of the Department Peter J. Ganci, Jr. were among the 343 members of the FDNY who perished. “My brother, Capt. Billy Burke with Engine 21, didn’t send his men into those towers,” said Michael Burke, who spoke at the press conference, “he led them in. And he did not leave, telling a friend who begged him to get out after tower two fell, ‘This is my job, this is who I am.’ How will visitors get a sense of that, if we don’t tell them?” Family organizers, survivors and representatives of uniformed service personnel are asking the public to come to the website, Save the Memorial, and sign their online petition asking that the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation list the names of the victims in the manner leaders of 32 family groups and representative supported in a 2004 agreement. The :60 ad can be view by logging onto www.savethe911memorial.com. About the Organizers: The following September 11 victims family organizations supported today’s press conference: Advocates for 9/11 Fallen Heroes, Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund, Coalition of 9/11 Families, 9/11 Families for Safe & Strong America, Skyscraper Safety Campaign, Take Back the Memorial, W. Doyle Support Group, Where to Turn, WTC Families for Proper Burial, WTC Family Center, World Trade Center United Family Group. To speak with any of the leaders of these respective groups, please call: Edith Lutnick at Save the 9/11 Memorial (212) 294-7852 The Save the 9/11 Memorial Ad Share the ad with your friends: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhkWfjdtJGQ Sign the Save the 9/11 Memorial Petition: http://www.savethe911memorial.com/petition.html

Two thousand one, nine eleven, Five thousand plus arrive in heaven. As they pass through the gate, Thousands more appear in wait. A bearded man with stovepipe hat, Steps forward saying, "Lets sit, lets chat." They settle down in seats of clouds, A man named Martin shouts out proud, "I have a dream!" and once he did, The Newcomer said, "Your dream still lives." Groups of soldiers in blue and gray, Others in khaki, and green then say, "We're from Bull Run, Yorktown, the Maine," The Newcomer said, "You died not in vain." From a man on sticks one could hear, The only thing we have to fear." The Newcomer said, "We know the rest, trust us sir, we've passed that test." "Courage doesn't hide in caves, You can't bury freedom, in a grave," The Newcomers had heard this voice before, A distinct Yankees twang from Hyannisport shores. A silence fell within the mist, Somehow the Newcomer knew that this Meant time had come for her to say, What was in the hearts of the five thousand plus that day. "Back on Earth, we wrote reports, Watched our children play in sports. Worked our gardens, sang our songs, Went to church and clipped coupons. We smiled, we laughed, we cried, we fought; Unlike you, great we're not." The tall man in the stovepipe hat Stood and said, "don't talk like that! Look at your country, look and see, You died for freedom, just like me." Then, before them all appeared a scene, Of rubbled streets and twisted beams. Death, destruction, smoke and dust, And people working just 'cause they must. Hauling ash, lifting stones, Knee deep in hell, but not alone. Look! Blackman, Whiteman, Brownman, Yellowman. Side by side helping their fellow man!" So said Martin, as he watched the scene, "Even from nightmares, can be born a dream." Down below three firemen raised, The colors high into ashen haze. The soldiers above had seen it before, On Iwo Jima back in '44. The man on sticks studied everything closely, Then shared his perceptions on what he saw mostly. "I see pain, I see tears, I see sorrow - but I don't see fear." "You left behind husbands and wives, Daughters and sons and so many lives, are suffering now because of this wrong, But look very closely. You're not really gone. All of those people, even those who've never met you, All of their lives, they'll never forget you. Don't you see what has happened? Don't you see what you've done? You've brought them together, together as one. With that the man in the stovepipe hat said, "Take my hand," and from there he led; Five thousand plus heroes, Newcomers to heaven, On this day, TWO THOUSAND ONE, NINE ELEVEN!

Before I go to bed tonight I just had to let you know, I truly do appreciate The kindness that you show. Before I go to bed tonight I thought that you should hear That every time we chat or write, I hold each second dear. Before I go to bed tonight I had you on my mind. I thought of things you've done or said, Things from a heart so kind. I hope this letter makes you happy, If only for a while But I'd gladly write a million If it would make you smile. I know this may sounds silly, Like perhaps I've lost my head. But I just had to let you know these things, Before I went to bed. *9/11 has shown us that you never know what might happen tomorrow. You don't know if tomorrow will even come, so send this to everyone special in your life because tomorrow might be too late!*

It was late one Tuesday evening, Before a mother could sit down, To tell her only child about The terror that hit downtown. She looked into the eyes of her son God, she loved him so, She felt her heart begin to break And the hurt begin to show. She gathered all her strength and courage, as her story she began to tell. "Baby don't cry, but I'm afraid daddy Might be under a building that fell." The boy looked back at his mother, His eyes made not one blink. And the mother's tears began to fall. What would her baby think? You see, his dad is a firefighter, And his hero from the day of his birth. He loved his dad more than anything else That could ever inherit this earth. The mother's head began to drop, Her forehead resting on palm. She thought her son would be upset. Instead, he was very calm. The boy leaned over towards his mom, And put his hand upon her head. in her ear he began to whisper, And this is what he said: "Mommy please don't cry, I knew daddy wasn't coming home. I talked to him just a while ago, But it wasn't on the phone. He told me that he loved me, And he promised we'd meet again. He told of his new home, And the job he was to begin." "God is building an army, And there are many angels needed. That, is where daddy and the others went. They weren't all defeated." It was then, the mother lifted her head. The tears streamed down her face. And she could feel her husband's presence, As it filled her heart with grace. It was then she knew her son was right. He was in God's great army now. She also knew her son was safe, That he'd be kept from harm somehow. So, evildoers of the world beware. An army is on the way. Bolstered by new angels, Who left the towers that day.. Their commander has never been beaten. His power has never been matched, And if evil thinks He was almighty before...... Well, the surface has just been scratched!

IN MEMORY OF OUR HEROES To the bravest of the brave, We pray for your loss, For your heroic effort, A round of applause. They come from all over, To aid in our plight, At New York’s Ground Zero, All through the night. Who could predict, The events of the day, Some fled for their lives, For the rest, we now pray. As smoke bellowed around them, They continued their mission, Knowing full well, Of the horrific condition. With your heart filled with hope, And a race against time, Your trying to cope, From this devastating crime. The flag was still flying, Amid all the debris, As people stood crying, In the land of the free. The towers have fallen, But United We Stand, All through the nation, Hand in Hand. ~Victoria Holley 9/23/01