remembering

i wore this pin on my scrub jacket every day for weeks after 9/11.  at the doctor's office where i worked, a lady brought in red/white/blue ribbon and gave us pieces of it to wear.  the staff wore theirs with a safety pin.  i wore mine with this guardian angel, to remind me and others of the dear souls that were lost on that horrible day.  i'm sure rolls of that ribbon and many others like it sold out crazy during those dark months.

i keep the pin in my jewelry case.  i haven't worn it for years.  yet i kept it, in the drawer with favorite rings, dangly earrings and watches i don't wear anymore.

the ribbon and angel remind me of the people who died that day, but looking at it now, it takes on a deeper meaning.  men and women of the armed forces who were killed in action in the two wars resulting from those attacks.  the souls of the innocent children born to wives whose husbands perished at their places of employment.  the volunteers who worked round the clock to clear the rubble from the crash sites, rescuing survivors, searching for answers as to who could possibly hate us that much to inflict that much damage, fear and heartache.  new angels, sadly missed, quietly remembered.





dad read this hymn in his sermon today:

what God hath promised by annie johnson flint (linky has music...)

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain rocky and steep,
Never a river turbid and deep.

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

today, i remember.  i hope you do too.