Echoes of 9-11

Sorry, the echoes must have been canceled this year, and I and my family, must have missed the memo. You see, I thought we were a country at war against the terrorist and that as a nation, we were together in our outrage. Didn't I see that on TV?

There are no more echoes. The day that was to live in infamy died, I guess. On the eleventh of September, 2001, for the first time I stood back and asked, "What can I do to help my country?" I knew I was just a thirteen year old kid, but I sought to find a way that I could make a difference- a rare thought in the rush of today's youth.

Only 2 years past, and again we met the day that had been the most horrific since Pearl Harbor. A young man of fifteen now, I went to my upper middle class school and looked at the scene- this is what I saw...

Had the school flag not been flown at half staff (which nobody noticed or understood), you would not have known that it was different than any other day. On my trip to school, I noticed no flags on anyone's porch... no banners, signs, or ribbons of any kind. No overt signs of patriotism. I was only a Thursday.

I remember there being more emotion on Homecoming day than on the anniversary of 3000 innocent neighbors being incinerated. Although the administration suggested that the students wear red, white, and blue, few people did. Only in 2 out of my 7 classes was the day even briefly mentioned, and even then only in passing. And among the students at lunchtime, I consciously listened to the conversations around me.

As for myself, I was frustrated that we didn't have the day off of school. I requested that my dad record the flashbacks, memorials, etc... It has been a constant source of conversation at our home (over dinner, the news) since July.

I can't help thinking that my peers and the public at large are waiting to be told that it is now time to feel something, almost as if we need a daily laugh-track, or in the case of 9/11, a cry-track.

You must be so proud of your son Carlo! And well you should be. Proves that you have done a superb job of setting a good example.

I agree with him, where is the outrage? I still feel it every single day, and will as long as I am on this earth. My outrage has expanded to include the so called leaders of the democrat party who are using this war to attack the administration, which I feel is decidedly undermining our security and harming our troops moral and safety.

I am appalled at this, and I can't for the life of me see how they can just continue to get away with this. I would hope that as their time for elections come due, they are soundly defeated for what I feel is their reckless behavior. It is outrageous indeed.

God help us get through this with our country intact, as they are trying like the very demons in hell to destroy it. Reading your son's post does give me hope however. Please tell him how much I appreciate him!

In memory of all those who perished this morning; the passengers and the pilots on the United Air and AA flights, the workers in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and all the innocent bystanders.. Our prayers go out to the friends and families of the deceased.

IF I KNEW

If I knew it would be the last time
That I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time
that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word,
so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time,
I could spare an extra minute
to stop and say "I love you,"
instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.

If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
Well I'm sure you'll have so many more,
so I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there's always tomorrow
to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance
to make everything just right.

There will always be another day
to say "I love you,"
And certainly there's another chance
to say our "Anything I can do?"

But just in case I might be wrong,
and today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you
and I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
you get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
you'll surely regret the day,

That you didn't take that extra time
for a smile, a hug, or a kiss
and you were too busy to grant someone,
what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
and whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
and that you'll always hold them dear

Take time to say "I'm sorry,"
"Please forgive me," "Thank you," or "It's okay."
And if tomorrow never! comes,
you'll have no regrets about today.

~Author unknown. This was sent to me by a dear New Yorker friend, I am sure with the hopes it would be disseminated to as many patriotic souls as humanly possible.
I post it with the prayer that it keeps the memory of all who lost, forever alive in our hearts ... Carlo

Tried the fudge and it's pretty good, but it wasn't chocolatey enough. Yeah, I know. I'm a major chocolate freak. I even doubled the amount of bakers chocolate and it still wasn't enough. And I had to add a tad more splenda (like 15 or so packets....) Ok, so I didn't follow the receipe. Even so, my husband thought it was good -remided him of a thick mousse.

Does anyone know if you can cook with sugarfree chocolate? Can you treat it the same way as regular chocolate? I think 8oz of a real good sugarfree milk chocolate would liven up that fudge a bit! Splenda has a bitter taste in large quantities - maybe the sugar alcohol in the sugarfree chocolate would help.

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