911

BL Ochman reflection:

I went back finally. I walked through Battery Park for the first time since I lost my memory there on 9/11.

I remember nothing from right after the first building fell around 9:30 a.m., until 1:30 p.m., when an emergency worker asked me if I needed help and I said I guessed I did. My dog, Sammy, and I were taken to a hospital in Jersey City via ferry and then an ambulance. When we got on the ferry, my brave, beautiful golden dog, who led me away from the disaster so confidently, crawled onto my lap and every fiber of his enormous body shook for the next twenty minutes. I never thought they’d let me bring a 90-pound Lab into the hospital, but when we got out of the ambulance, they were so happy to see survivors that they welcomed us with open arms and even gave Sammy sandwiches and ice cream.

“I’m ok,” I insisted. “Take care of the people who are hurt.” Late that night, we left the hospital to begin a complicated journey that included homelessness, mercury poisoning, a couple of bouts of “atypical pneumonia," and three years of treatment for PTSD.

I'm fine almost all the time now. Still hyper-aware of sirens going by when nobody else seems to pay them any mind. Still dislike days when the sky is bright blue and completely cloudless. That's a 9/11 sky. My eyes always seem to be drawn to clocks precisely at 9:11. Tonight, the time between 9:10 and 9:12 seemed like hours.

So when I went back to the park in July, I thought I’d remember more. But instead it was like a movie in slow motion, and it was surreal.

One memory came back last year – of how I got the woman’s slip that I carried with me for months. It floated into my outstretched hands as the wind brought it from a jumper. I’m sorry, so very sorry to that woman’s family. Because I couldn't remember how I got it, and I eventually threw the slip away. I didn't realize then that it might have had DNA that could have given her family closure.

Today, I’d like to honor that woman’s memory and send love to the people who miss her. I can’t remember, but I do understand.

Obama on Letterman 9/10/08

Pretty good interview! Funny as well. Check it out...

Kicking Knowledge

I recently spoke with my cousin about an issue I am going through, and he had these words of wisdom for me:

Espera en Dios, si El esta permitiendo que esta puerta se cierre es porque tiene algo mejor para ti. Busca y encontraras, solo ten Fe en El!

Suddenly, something that was demoralizing became so simple! I guess I lost sight of what really matters, and had started to be come selfish. Instead of trusting in God, I thought I could do everything myself and was thinking too much on my shortcomings. I need to focus on my strengths and trust that God will help move me forward!

First Entry

HEELLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Alright, let's get this thing cracken. First things first, what to expect from my blog: I dunno, you tell me. Expect the unexpected. And beyond, at least that's what my initial motive is. I will post my thoughts for the day, and they may vary from sports, to music, economics, technology, nothingness, whatever.

I am running short on time, so I thought I would kick it off with a link. Please take the time to read the full post from HornetsHype.com:

Don’t tell me what my city needs and does not need. You weren’t there. You came to party, but you didn’t want the baggage. You weren’t there with the doors hanging open and banging in the wind, up and down an eerily empty street littered with debris. You weren’t there when the traffic lights didn’t work for a year. You weren’t there when the Saints scored a touchdown 90 seconds into the first home game after Katrina, and a whole city leapt up in unison, and it meant something.

In the wake of Gustav, many of us were praying New Orleans be spared from another tragedy. It is very hard for me to comprehend what took place three years ago, both spiritually and emotionally. To live through Katrina, lose the only place you have called home, feel betrayed by your own country, and still be able to say "New Orleans, I can't quit you" is simply... amazing. Or something. I was just in awe reading that article. Please read it.