A day of remembrance and reading...

Hello fellow readers.
Though it's always time to bring the fun here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers, today we take a more somber tone in remembrance of the events that shook our nation these ten years ago.  For some reason, it doesn't feel like that long ago...perhaps it's just the magnitude of which it was felt around the world or simply how reminders of how things have changed since then that can be seen everywhere that keeps it fresh in our memories. In either case, it has in fact been a decade but for any of us that are old enough to remember it occurring, I'll bet you can still recall where you were when it unfolded.
I was at home, getting ready for work when my Mom called me out to the living room with panic in her voice. The first plane had hit and news broadcasts were still trying to make sense out of the chaos we were seeing. Then...plane two. It was a surreal moment. To actually see this kind of carnage on US soil was unsettling and many lost control, understandably. I, myself, never truly shed tears about it. Now I know that sounds heartless but I promise, I felt horrible for those on the fated flights and for those left behind. I felt a tinge of fear over who or where was next. What I felt the most though was more of a mixed bag. I was disappointed in mankind's treatment of each other. I was angry that something like this was happening in our day and age. I was in awe at how an act of such violence and hatred could bring out the heroes in everyday life...and saddened that it took a tragedy like this to see that.  It's a heart wrenching subject even this many years later and one that will stay with us for many more to come.
I couldn't even imagine being there when all of this happened but many were. Some are no longer with us to share there stories but those that are share them in their own time. Now I'm not one to watch the myriad of programs on the events even as they inundate our televisions this weekend...call me unusual but replaying the footage over and over seems morbid to me ...those are people for goodness sake in real life, NOT the movies....but I was contacted by an author a few month's back asking if I would like to read and share his work with you.  How does that fit into today's post? The author, Artie Van Why, was there that day. He was a first hand witness to the events and so his perspective (to me) seems that much more personal....and after reading his remembrance, approached more delicately than regular media outlets.  Today's book of choice in honor of those lives touched by the traffic events of yesteryear is....
THAT DAY IN SEPTEMBER
by
Artie Van Why
I'm not going to rehash what the book covers in full because that should be fairly obvious however I will say that the author also inserts his personal life and reactions surrounding the time which takes away any potential clinical aspect it could have suffererd.  The life experiences included help us to connect with the author on a more personal note and see this everyday person in the extreme circumstances they were placed. It does not become overly descriptive while still conveying the horrors seen all around. There is respect and courtesy used to honor not only the fallen but the events themselves. So many people were lost that day both physically and emotionally; so many were forced to make choices that no one should have to make and accept the consequences that were inevitable either way. The parting thoughts of the author had me on the brink of tears. So much strength and conviction, a renewed outlook on life...a seriously unexpected reprecussion of the events....we would be lucky to gain that much insight from our everyday lives let alone a tragedy of this magnitude.
In summary, a touching look at the human spirit from both sides of possibility and a story of finding life (and the will to live it) again in spite of it all. A tough share, yes...but inspiring nonetheless.   May all those affected by the events that transpired those ten years ago find some version of peace and inner strength to carry on loving with the memories of both good and bad. Let us not forget what happened but learn from it. Don't wait for epic tragedies to occur to care for your fellow man, do it every day in even the seemingly smallest way...so maybe one day this can be a world we are truly proud to say is ours in every way.
Thank you to author Artie Van Why for the chance to read and share this title with all of you. For more information on the author as well as his work, seek him out online.
Until next time ...