on a great birthday...
a sparkly clean house
flowers on the table
dinner with my family and my parents
talking politics and world affairs with my teens and hubby till late in the evening
good wishes from so many of you...thanks!
on the day...
september 11th is a bit different for me. in the whirlwind of the attacks on the world trade center and the horror unfolding on the television life went on, work, school, driving kids here and there. on the way home from picking up my son at school i came upon an accident on our gravel road about a mile from home. i was the first on the scene and it is a scene that is burned in my memory, a flipped over car, two girls laying on the road, a twisted neck, the labored breathing, the wheels of the car spinning, the quiet of a country road, the roaring of the helicopter as it landed nearby. the oldest died on the scene while i was holding her hand, the second died later that week, the third daughter walked away without a scratch. she was the only one in the car wearing a seatbelt. a family was devastated that day along with so many other families.
every time i buckle my seatbelt i think of that day. buckle up, buckle up your children. talk to the teens in your life, your own, and others. that seatbelt could save their life.
i know i take for granted the blessings in my life, but on days like today i try to remember how blessed i am to live in a country where the founding fathers crafted a system which established order and embraced change all at the same time. Brilliant!
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
How cool is that!
31 comments:
I, too, heart the constitution!
such an important day for reflection. if only we could keep up the spirit of that every single day...there'd be a lot less bickering, don't you think?
Great post - with reflections. Those poor families (of both the accident and the attacks). Too bad there isn't less arguing and fighting.
Kris
Jacquie, wonderful post!
Powerful post. My heart and prayers go out to that family today, seven years after their personal tragedy and seven years after the tragedy that permanently changed so many lives. I witnessed the aftermath of an accident very similar to this as a child (age 11-12), on an innocent trip to the park with my brother. I will never forget those images. I know the family today (by chance, and Church) and I still see that tragedy, almost 30 years later. Buckle up, count your blessings, and be good to one another.
Jacquie, this is a wonderful post and a reminder to us all how fragile and tenuous life is. So much can be unalterably changed in the blink of an eye. Life is a sacred gift, is it not? I pray that some comfort comes to those who have suffered such great losses.
I am so happy that you had such a wonderful birthday...one to keep tucked up safely in your heart's memory. It is a blessing to be surrounded by people you love and to feel their love for you.
such powerful memories, and both with messages never to forget.....
Thanks for those words Jacquie. I agree.
Jacquie: great post, thanks so much.
what a profound reflection. Thank you.
Such a great post Jacquie! I am thankful for this place we call home :)
I take that for granted far too often. I'm going to read the whole thing tonight to my kids. Thank you for the somber reminder.
That poor family. I'm so glad you were there to hold her hand. Thank God you had the strength to do the right thing, and help however you could. x
I love the Constitution. Every time I read that passage I hum the tune from Schoolhouse Rock. And whenever my girls watch that DVD I cry during that one...
September 11th, 2001, that and the days that followed were so life altering.
....I don't know what to say....that must have been such a frightening day!
I hope our constitution is returned to it's original intent very soon. I too wish for peace, for less tragedy for all people and our environment. I am very sorry to hear that a day already filled with shock and tragedy was made worse for you and the family of those girls who lost so much more in the moment of this accident. I wish all would use seat belts too. We just lost two adult community members for the same reason. No seat belts, except for the third person in the car and he is alive today because of it. The driver was drunk. My neighbors still mourn the death of their teenage son who chose not to wear a seat belt. Thank you, Jacquie, for sharing with us.
We will always be asked the question like for the JFK assassination of my mom's generation, where were you on 9-11.
My anniversary happens to be on 9-10 so I have a day of happiness and reflection and then a day of sadness and reflection the next.
Thank you for sharing your story with us!
So many tragedies and that poor family. What memories.
This is such an eloquent post. Thank you for sharing and reminding all of us what we have to be thankful for and to reflect upon that daily. I am also glad that you had such a lovely day on your birthday-I send you wishes of many more happy days to come.
Amen. You are so right in that often times we take things for granted. Unfortunately, it is days like today that trigger that in our minds. We really need to remember our blessing on a daily basis. I wish the best to you on your special day with your family and friends!
Great post. This country is truly amazing. So thanksfull to be a part of it.
My goodness, I can not imagine experiencing all that you did on that one day. My heart goes out to you, and for the family involved in the car accident.
Wonderful post, thank you for sharing...
What a wonderful, thoughtful post. Glad you had such a happy birthday, surrounded by those you love. That's the best!
Wow. A great post, so aptly described by others. This year's anniversary date has particularly impacted me, I don't know why so especially this year. I can't imagine how poignant it is for you. God bless!
I felt the agony of 9/11 for those who lost their loved ones, and oh my, how horrible for the loss of the young girls on that day, and for you.
We do live in the best country in the world, and I, too, love our constitution. This was a really great post. Thank you.
Happy Belated Birthday, just another thing we have in common - September birthdays! The story of the car accident caved my heart in....and of course remebering the that tragic day and how that memory is burned into my mind. But what a lovely reminder of all that we have and cherish!
every life lost on the roads is a cause for great sadness - but it is all the more tragic when they are the lives of the young and vibrant. Thank you for sharing such a moving experience - every message we hear regarding the life saving power of the humble seat belt should be shared.
wow! What an amazing experience. That was so great of you to be a support during the aftermath of the accident!
Oh Jacquie, what an intense situation you were involved with. How terribly sad for that family and for you, but thank goodness you stumbled upon that accident and that you had the courage to be with the young woman as she passed away. Wow.
On another note, your fashionista quite is wonderful! And congratulations at getting to the gym so regularly.
late to comment, found you again via smoothpebble...wonderful post, bittersweet reflections and yes, the constitution does rock! would that we could just pare everything back to those simple (yet so hard to execute simply) ideals
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