There She Stands

*There She Stands*

When the night
Seems to say
All hope is lost
Gone away
But I know
I'm not alone
By the light
She stands

There she waves
Faithful friend
Shimmering stars
Westward wind
Show the way
Carry me
To the place
She stands

Just when you think it might be over
Just when you think the fight is gone
Someone will risk his life to raise her
There she stands

There she flies
Clear blue skies
Reminds us with red
Of those that died
Washed in white
By the brave
In their strength
She stands

When evil calls itself a martyr
When all your hopes come crashing down
Someone will pull her from the rubble
There she stands

We've seen her flying torn and tattered
We've seen her stand the test of time
And through it all the fools have fallen
There she stands

By the dawn's
Early light
And through the fight
She stands

~Michael W. Smith

This song is the result of a request that President Bush made of Michael W. Smith at a meeting between them six weeks after 9-11-2001. Wish that I had heard it many years ago. I don't believe that many people are familiar with the song and that's a shame. You can listen to it for yourself by clicking on the title. (Yes, there are some of the iconic images and video of that day.) The stanza that says Just when you think it might be over, Just when you think the fight is gone perfectly reflects the way I felt on that day.

Below I am reposting a piece I wrote in 2007 describing where I was that Tuesday. We all will forever remember where we were. More importantly, let us remember where we are this day and know that God was and is and forever will be in control. Ours is not the first generation to face devastation. It will not be the last.

Remembering

This morning, first thing, I lowered the flag to the half-mast position. September 11 will never come and go unremembered for as long as I live. This is true for most Americans, I am certain. There are those who still remember Pearl Harbor with the same devotion.

Six years ago, I was a preschool teacher on an excursion to the library with my students and other staff. The hour 8:45 came and went without any particular notice as the class listened to the librarian read a story. This was followed by a craft time.

At 9:00, we were collected by our dear bus driver Gil who looked at each of us adults with pure terror in her eyes. I will never forget how pale and upset she looked. Gil had the radio on and the news was terrible. A plane had crashed into the north tower and all hell had broken loose.

One of the teacher's husbands was a construction worker in NYC at the time, and she began to weep softly. Just as news of the first jumpers came across the airwaves, I asked Gil to please turn off the radio. The little ones had become frightened, too, and were now asking questions. "Why are you crying, Mrs. M? What's wrong? Why are you all sad?"

By the time we had arrived back at school, the entire parking lot was filled with parents' cars and in less than 5 minutes, all the children had been scooped up and taken home. I was grateful for those concerned parents. I was grateful that the children would be home in the bosom of their families because, in my own fear, I had no idea how the day would end or if any of us would live to see the end of that day. It seems almost laughable today, but then it was my reality.

Today, another Tuesday, I think of all those who live in New York City who must rise again to the day despite their fears. May God bless them and all of us.

First posted September 11, 2007

P.S. If you have time (26 min.),  I highly recommend this video: Ten Years Later: A Nation Remembers 9/11

Three Gifts

Have you heard the news about the United States Postal Service? They think they'll be completely broke by the end of October. This October unless... The plan is to shut down Saturday delivery forever, to lay off a lot of people, to remove a lot of corner mailboxes, and to close a lot of post offices. I hope that there's another plan because we can't afford to lose one more job and I can't imagine a country being okay without a postal service. I mean really...and Blogdom depends on it, too.

Just recently, a book and a dvd from Gwen and her husband arrived via the USPS. It's called When Things Seem Impossible by Jean Dye Johnson. Another abduction story...those missionaries get kidnapped a lot it seems...and an exciting story, which I finished reading yesterday and will hand off to John. (Because Gwen is not supposed to be on the computer, I have yet to thank her. Thank you, Gwen and Mike! This is just in case she's sneaking a peek against doctor's orders.)

We both read the first gift In the Presence of Mine Enemies and, though the outcome was disheartening, we were blessed. I'm still thinking about it, especially so in light of the tenth anniversary of 9-11 on Sunday. Terrorists make me grit my teeth; these missionaries were genuinely concerned for their souls. I recently heard Gracia Burnham (author of In the Presence...) tell a story about the process she went through to ultimately arrive at forgiveness. (A You Tube video) She said that one day she was feeling so angry that she said to her husband, "One day that guy is going to rot in hell and I hope that I'm there to see it!" (That's the kind of thing that I might feel and say.) Her husband was shocked and replied, "Gracia, one day he will rot in hell if he doesn't ask the Lord to come into his life, but you do not want to be there. Imagine seeing the wrath of God poured out upon a person. You don't ever want to see that."

Then I received a win in the mail from Peggy at DayLily. I remember visiting and selecting this cheery painting if I should be so blessed to win. What a lovely surprise to discover that I had. This one makes me smile. The colors are so vivid and clear. Peggy is so talented! I'm always amazed at the talent in Blogdom. Thank you, Peggy!

Poppies by Peggy

The most recent gift came from John after a visit to his favorite flea market. It doesn't happen to be my favorite flea market so he visits alone so he can truly enjoy it. A tripod! A very sturdy, almost-easy-to-use tripod for the grand sum of $5! With it, I took this photo of the moon last night. I need practice because this moon looks like a glowing egg stuck in the treetop. I'll keep trying as we head for the full moon.

A Glowing Egg

Thank you for your visit today. I'm still playing with a schedule or not a schedule or whatever I am going to do around here.  Have a great weekend!

Slipping Into September

September: it was the most beautiful of words... evoking orange-flowers, swallows, and regret.  ~Alexander Theroux

The weather certainly feels like September. Much cooler days and blessedly cooler nights and when the breeze blows there is just the hint of change to come. Thing is, as much as I love the next season, I'm not ready to let summer go.

Reading around Blogdom yesterday, I got that same sense from many of you north of Kansas. There's the desire to hold onto what precious little summer we enjoyed and slip slowly into autumn.

One thing I am truly looking forward to is the changing light. It happens when the leaves turn golden and the house fills with liquid sunshine. From the look of my doorstep where the leaves are assembling daily, that's a work already in progress.

My sensibilities change, too, in autumn. I'm looking for warmer colors and putting away the pastels and pinks of spring and summer, but sloooooowly.

Doily Wreath Wearing Autumn Garb

Snack Mat and a Cup of Tea

When I work on new sewing projects like the snack mats I'm finding fun, I look for autumn colors and I've fished out an autumn tea cup or two.

Blogging seems more important in autumn. There used to be a commercial for sunrooms where a late middle-aged couple described their vacation travels as less than satisfactory in many ways. The gentleman would then report that he said to his wife, "That's just about enough of this." They built a sunroom and vacation year 'round right there in their own home. Well that's sort of how I'm feeling about my self-imposed exile: That's just about enough of this. I'm feeling better, exercising more, reading more, getting things accomplished in small doses. I think that I am ready to be a little more present here. If I find myself slipping down that slippery slope to a bad back, weight gain, and inactivity, I'll impose another absence.

So much for the big news here! ☺

A delightful day to you...