Today is a day to remember. For me, it's a day to remember one of the best days of my life. Fifteen years ago, I became a mother for the first time. It's also a day to remember the pain of a nation, the horrific loss of lives 10 years ago. A local ski area has been set up as a Healing Fields with 3200 flags to remember those who died that horrible day. My family will not visit those fields - at least not today.
Our family, today, will attempt to act normally. Although we celebrated our eldest daughter's birthday with a special dinner and cake last evening, it is officially her birthday now and I don't want to grieve today. Instead, I give my daughter the freedom to be happy and know that we believe this day brought our world more sunshine, happiness and joy 15 years ago. That means this day is a day of hope for our family anyway.
It is my hope that our small celebrations, a bonfire with friends and smores, will be simple ways to also celebrate all the lives that were lost 10 years ago. If we focus on hope today, isn't that another way of embracing the life of those who had been here? A way of saying we're glad your families had you for the time that they did? Or, we're glad you lived and we hope for a better world where tragic deaths like yours will not happen again?
Another mom blogger, Mom-101, far better and more famous than I, mentioned how she feels 10 years after 9/11 - a day that's also her birthday. She thinks it may be too creepy to celebrate at all. Reading that made me want to cry for her, my daughter and everyone who was born on this day.
I hope you will all forgive me for not immersing myself in remembrance activities and services today. They're certainly there on the edges of my mind, forming the frame of this day that I still want to be hopeful. Please forgive me if all I really want to say today is "Happy Birthday, Little Lotte"
Happy Birthday Lotte! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Carolyn - at the end of the day, she said it was perfect. I think we did well then.
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