Worn In Honor
Well the trip to NYC is over. I'm still on cloud 9 however. So many incredible things happened to me on this trip. All to come in later blogs of course. But since it's Thanksgiving there is one thing I need to write about more than anything. While I'm so very very thankful for many things, one thing is sticking out. If you have looked at my award pictures you will see an American flag pin on my dress. This pin is special to me..so very special. I'll tell you why. I had a soldier friend named Rusty. For reasons only known to him Rusty took his life. He left behind so many people who cared about him and would have done anything for him. In the weeks following his death I met one in particular. Rusty's grandma Laura. She was so kind and so caring I don't see how anyone could have left her behind. She sent me emails all the time thanking me for all I had done for Rusty when he was alive. And for taking care of his tree at Warriors Walk since his passing. Miss Laura talked to me several times about coming here and meeting me. We were going to take a trip to his tree together. But sadly, Miss Laura passed away a few months ago. I never wrote about this because it causes me such pain in my heart. i will never get the chance to meet her and tell her how much of a hero she was to me. She was one the bravest people I ever "met". And I'm so terribly sorry I lost out on the chance to tell her face to face.
A couple of months ago I got an email from Rusty's aunt. She told me of her mom's passing and asked for my address. She had a few things that belonged to her mom that she wanted me to have. When the box arrived my hands shook and my eyes were blurred by tears as I tried to open it. Inside I found a favorite t-shirt of Miss Laura's, a porcelain eagle, a wristband and an Americna flag pin. Each one is a treasure to me. The eagle is in my china cabinet with the wristband around it's neck. her t-shirt is in my cedar chest and the pin was on my dress when I got my award.
Rusty's aunt Vanetta, did all she could to help me get votes to make it to NYC. She lobbied so hard for me! her request to me was for me to take a flag to Ground Zero and leave it in Rusty's honor. Well, I took two flags instead. One for him and for Miss Laura. One was left on the fence at Ground Zero and the other was left in the tiny firehouse across the street. It suffered such a great loss on 9/11 and I knew Rusty and Miss Laura would be honored to be remembered there. I told the fireman the story of the flag and how it had traveled with me to the site. i asked if I could leave it with him? He said he'd do one even better and asked if I minded if he added it to the firefighter memorial? Choking back tears I said I thought was an excellent idea. So that's where it stayed.
I got off track in writing about the pin..but it was all so involved. I told Rusty's aunt Vanetta I was going to wear the pin when she asked me to take the flag to Ground Zero. And she too cried and was touched. When I go to Warriors Walk now, it's no longer just Rusty's tree but also Miss Laura's tree. She loved him so much there's no way I could not honor her memory also.
I'm so grateful I got the chance to know her..even though it was only thru emails. She was an incredible lady and I know she was looking down on me wearing her pin..smiling a big smile of approval. Be thankful for today and what you have..tomorrow is not guaranteed.
