nmah4742.xml

nmah4742.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

September 11, 2002

Dear Jennifer,

This was a day which was ceremonial, emotional and solemn. Even the clouds were crying at 8:46 this morning. I was attending the first of two memorial services held today. I stood in the rain, at the Barnstable Municipal Airport, with a large group of residents listening to the names of our fellow Cape Codders who perished one year ago at The World Trade Center in New York City. The brass bell of the ladder truck of the Barnstable's Fire Department rang for each name, followed by a moment of silence...especially long moments it seemed to me. The names were of our husbands, our wives, our brothers, our sisters, and our best friends.

As I stood there, my eyes fixed on the huge American flag which snapped in the wind at the end of the elevated ladder of the fire truck, emotions washed over me like rumors. I remembered the last conversation I had with Berry before her fateful trip on flight 11. We sat in a Wellfleet cafe, speaking together over mugs of hot strong coffee, about matters of consequence. Then, a long hug, and the usual "See ya !" were the last words we ever said to one another.

I miss my friend. When we all lost her husband, Tony [Perkins], she was the tower of strength that kept family and friends together in spirit. She was charismatic and so full of the joy of life.

For one moment today, people all over the world stopped to remember; we were humanity joined by loss and by love. As for me, I finally have experienced closure; that's what today's memorials have meant. Coming home later, I felt extremely light, airy, almost joyful, because now I know that I can go forward, without guilt or sorrow weighing me down, as it were. Knowing full well that Berry, together again with Tony, is smiling somewhere, and that this is what she would want me to do......."See ya ! Berry" I said to myself.

Love,
Momest

yes, it has. I don't think that I allow the small things to bother me anymore.

But in a greater sense I am more committed to the Peace Movement in our country. This senseless murder has to stop. The United States of America must promote and comply with any of the standards of the United Nations in terms of peace, law and justice. If there is going to be a "world economy", then there has to be a world of nations coming together in peace and in Law. We need to make international Laws, not War.

We could remember how very precious life is, and that in today's world we must be cognizant of the fact that we should not take anything for granted; we must learn to live in the moment, and understand our life connections to one another.

Yes I did fly our flag, at half mast. No, my feelings about our flag have not changed, my feelings about my fellow Americans have, however.

I am old enough to remember when the show "HAIR" was closed and banned in Boston because one of the characters in the play came on stage with the American flag sewn to the seat of his jeans. I thought that was a bit much at the time, to close a show? I was 19, and our country was in the throws of the Viet Nam War.

Today, at 55 years old, and after 9/11, I was actually was shocked to see a lack of respect for our flag by manufacturers who used the Americxan flag as part of their new logos or the newly designed packaging of their products, all First Ammendment aguements aside. Something about it didn't set well with me.

On the 9/11 anniversay, I was again shocked to see that no one, especially those business owners along the major roads on the Cape, who use the American flag to bring attention to their businesses, had not taken the time to lower their flags for a day of national mouring; even many of the municiple flags of the town of Barnstable, MA on the Cape, were at full mast. I also noted that very very few had an American Flag flying from their vehicle's antenae as they had the year before. Was it passe now to do so? I wonder, this bourgeous ex-hippie from the 60's.