"The words on those pages represent my best hope for rediscovering what I once believed I would never forget." Sigh. What an exquisite observation and powerful reminder.
It was my good fortune that my mother set the example of communicating by letter, even after email and phone availability might have made that obsolete. In a sense, it's my own version of a hard drive back up. :) Grateful to have you as a curious and engaged reader!
Yes, another 'can of worms' my friend. As always, your thoughtful topics make me question and think, and think more deeply. Certainly your piece reminds me that what I remember and often retell isn't necessarily what really happened. I wonder if, in some cases, our altered memories are a gift? I can recall likely omissions or altered memories which have helped me heal from heartbreak or loss, and in some cases allowed me to forgive. Perhaps sometimes it's our heart's influence that helps our brain have selective memories?
Lyn, I love the idea that our hearts might specialize, as it were, in memories that help us heal, while shifting more painful thoughts into the background. I do wonder about how (whether) we can cultivate ways to bring those darker memories out of hiding, coaxing them into the safe spaces of the future "us." Big concepts. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
I was actually on a plane, working, and heard from the captain what happened. After we landed we watched the second plane fly into the second tower on the crew room tv.
Gosh, Anna Marie, that must have been so unsettling. "There but for the grace of god go I..." I'm sure you remember it all quite vividly. Thank you for adding to the conversation.
I learned of 9/11 while working at McMartin and Beggins in The Mill. I had forgotten that and pieced it together on 9/11/2023. I won't forget your Pasta Sauce however. Wow!
The circle of connection is splendid! Good days, those with you all in the Mill space together. Glad you enjoyed the sauce, Tom. Thanks for reading, as always.
I discovered the fallibility of my memory when I read an event in my journal that I remembered differently. After that I have been more diligent about writing down the things that happen in my life and want to remember within a day, because I discovered how faulty and deceptive my memory truly is.
Very wise habit, Casey. I regret, sometimes, that journaling is not a daily activity for me. Now that my mom is gone, I no longer have our correspondence to fall back on, either, so I might need to up my game, so to speak. Deceptive is exactly it! Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
I was sitting with a sleeping Bailey when GMA delayed their signoff for breaking news and remember hearing Diane Sawyer say offscreen something like “oh dear God” before a plane came into the video and collided with the tower. Hearing a seasoned journalist’s horror as a prelude to seeing what just compounded the terrible dread.
"The words on those pages represent my best hope for rediscovering what I once believed I would never forget." Sigh. What an exquisite observation and powerful reminder.
It was my good fortune that my mother set the example of communicating by letter, even after email and phone availability might have made that obsolete. In a sense, it's my own version of a hard drive back up. :) Grateful to have you as a curious and engaged reader!
Yes, another 'can of worms' my friend. As always, your thoughtful topics make me question and think, and think more deeply. Certainly your piece reminds me that what I remember and often retell isn't necessarily what really happened. I wonder if, in some cases, our altered memories are a gift? I can recall likely omissions or altered memories which have helped me heal from heartbreak or loss, and in some cases allowed me to forgive. Perhaps sometimes it's our heart's influence that helps our brain have selective memories?
Lyn, I love the idea that our hearts might specialize, as it were, in memories that help us heal, while shifting more painful thoughts into the background. I do wonder about how (whether) we can cultivate ways to bring those darker memories out of hiding, coaxing them into the safe spaces of the future "us." Big concepts. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
I was actually on a plane, working, and heard from the captain what happened. After we landed we watched the second plane fly into the second tower on the crew room tv.
Gosh, Anna Marie, that must have been so unsettling. "There but for the grace of god go I..." I'm sure you remember it all quite vividly. Thank you for adding to the conversation.
I do, and I still can’t believe that it’s real.
I learned of 9/11 while working at McMartin and Beggins in The Mill. I had forgotten that and pieced it together on 9/11/2023. I won't forget your Pasta Sauce however. Wow!
Tom
The circle of connection is splendid! Good days, those with you all in the Mill space together. Glad you enjoyed the sauce, Tom. Thanks for reading, as always.
I discovered the fallibility of my memory when I read an event in my journal that I remembered differently. After that I have been more diligent about writing down the things that happen in my life and want to remember within a day, because I discovered how faulty and deceptive my memory truly is.
Very wise habit, Casey. I regret, sometimes, that journaling is not a daily activity for me. Now that my mom is gone, I no longer have our correspondence to fall back on, either, so I might need to up my game, so to speak. Deceptive is exactly it! Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
I was sitting with a sleeping Bailey when GMA delayed their signoff for breaking news and remember hearing Diane Sawyer say offscreen something like “oh dear God” before a plane came into the video and collided with the tower. Hearing a seasoned journalist’s horror as a prelude to seeing what just compounded the terrible dread.