Can’t Cry Hard Enough: Why I do this every year
Every year Girl on the Right shuts down to all other news and events to do an all-day September 11th memorial. Why?
Regular readers know that I pull no punches the other 364 days of the year when it comes to Islam and their war against decent people. But day after day throughout the year, I write without feeling it. September 11th is always with me, always on my mind, but boxed up nice and small so I can manage it. I don’t feel it.
All year long I read accounts of terrorist atrocities around the world, but they don’t get in. And then for just one day, I open the box.
For just one day every year I allow myself to feel what I couldn’t that day eight years ago. I allow myself to grieve for the loss of life, as well as for the loss of a way of life. I grieve for the loss of a mindless innocence I once had to those I share a planet, a country, a city with. I grieve for friendships lost when people said things like “They deserved it” or “Bush did it.” I grieve for a Wendy that didn’t pay attention to the news, but slept more soundly. I grieve for September 10th.
Some asinine British politicrat said that September 11th was “a good day to bury bad news.” On Girl on the Right every year, I focus only on the bad news of that day, and no other day. For the 2996 lives lost in the attacks, as well as the countless who have been destroyed since, they deserve no less than my undivided attention.
Could you pass me a tissue please? Great post.
Comment by Jenny — September 11, 2009 @ 11:32 am
Nice - I can normally just skate on by the ‘touchy feely’ stuff, but today its not working..thanks for this post.
Comment by Crashlndin — September 11, 2009 @ 12:49 pm
Thank you for this Wendy.
I think many of us try not to “feel it” because it’s so damn painful and if we didn’t try to manage it, we’d fall apart. But on this day, it’s okay for us to weep again.
And don’t stop pulling those punches the other 364 days, either. We so need you!
Comment by DarcsFalcon — September 11, 2009 @ 4:35 pm