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The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday September 11, 2002 - B5 REFLECTIONS & I I i: I ! III S Bereaved Families called upon for comfort The events of September 11, 2001 may have occurred in the United States, but the ripple effect of those tragedies affected many people in Halton Region on a deeply personal level. In the days and weeks following Sept. 11, Bereaved Families of Ontario-Halton/Peel was called upon to offer comfort, support and advice as a direct result of those events. For example, we were able to help a young lady whose friend was reported as "missing" in the World Trade Tower collapse and another young man who knew some one who had lost a loved one amidst the terror. Many calls were received from our bereaved fam ilies who, having watched the events unfold on tel evision, found their own grief was overwhelming when faced with the visual evidence of so much pain. Almost without exception these families saw themselves reflected in the faces of those at the scene. They felt a deep connection to this new com munity of bereaved people for they knew the terri ble long and painful journey these families would be making. They knew this as only one who had "walked the path of grief' before could possibly know. Their hearts broke, not just for themselves but also for the thousands of families who had lost loved ones that fateful day. At Bereaved Families the very nature of our work makes us very aware and sensitive to the fact life, any life, is precarious - September 11 brought this awareness to our entire community. - Jill Hill Program Coordinator Bereaved Families o f Ontario-Halton/Peel The strength of the human spirit As Sept. 11 quickly approaches we all have our own memories which will stay with each of us for ever. One is of performing for people who needed to laugh after such horrific events had occurred. On the morning of September 15th I sat with my cast the Tartan Terrors dumfounded at the Ohio Renaissance Festival, wondering if anyone would even show up to our Festival. After our gate opened I found my answer. Thousands of people showed up to have time away from the televisions, radios and newspapers. Feeling like a modem Bob Hope I knew our job was to entertain and make people laugh. After our first show I had a woman state she had been crying all week and our show was the first thing to make her laugh. Then there were the numerous men and woman who stood at attention while my brother Ian, our piper, Bill Davidson and snare drummer, Derek Marshall played Amazing Grace into the Marine Core hymn. Perhaps the most touching was when my broth er announced that Canada was behind the U.S. 150 per cent, and soon people were toasting us, their Canadian brothers! Instantly people gave us U.S. flags, pins and a marine heading to Afghanistan removed his shirt and gave it to us as a symbol of friendship. It felt good to assist in healing through music,comedy and dance. I learned much about the strength of the human spirit, the power of friendship and how performing will always be much more then an opportunity to express oneself as an artist. --Ellen Irmisch Sept. 11 will be forever in my mind. There is not a day that goes by that I don't get tears in my eyes just remembering that terrible day. My prayers are with the families who lost love d ones. Since that day I hold my family so close now. that I don't like to be away from then too long. As the wife of a firefighter I know the dan gers he faces every day. The lives that were lost should always be remembered for their lives were taken away so tragically. - Mrs Collins It's all a waste Poem by L. Levesque, age 19 It's all a waste If only it were late Terrorist Attacks, then you are given your last chance Why so much hate? The US and Canada will give you a taste You know we'll fight back, you tried to End all of our days You are a coward in hiding Now you're life is at stake Then you say you are not to blame Was it worth your happiness, to see So many others in pain? To know you are the one who is shamed This is for all of the people who's lives have Had to change For I take one look at you and wonder What did we create? For I think one thought of you And it brings disgust to my brain Just when we thought the world had been trained This is for all of the people who's suffering will remain For your country is your take For I ask one question of you, in return a frown on my face Don't think you can just vanish and not leave a trace For you have no understanding of humanity You will never hold a case All this talk of people dying, is enough To make another insane Sad to say what you have made You will go down for showing so much hate! God Bless America Love, a Canadian Meaning of life ties to people around us The tragedy of Sept. 11 has stolen a day of the year from my calendar. Birthday, anniversary, any celebra tion on this day must be now be tempered by the solemn respect for the sacrifice those people made. As the reporters, like marketers, brand the term, "911," we will forever associate the day with the tragedy. Like the number 13, September 11 will always be hit upon with caution and mythical suspicion. I've also been affected in another, deeper way. On Sept. 11,2002, I'll deliver the first lecture in a market ing course I teach at Sheridan College. Over the year. I've had to change the way I think about marketing. Clearly, the events of 911 shocked us into glimpsing beyond our own consumptive desires. During those hallowed days of September last, mar keting was as distasteful a spirit as the tragedy itself. How trivial that new pair of shoes seemed in light of those who died. How real the fireman's and the police man's lives became to us as they risked their necks on a daily basis. As we watched them perish, the interspersed multi tude of ads that attempted to tell us what life is really about, in our new cars and our new clothes, seemed mindless and miles from the truth. For me, that's the greatest lesson of 911. While the events took place in another country, we all shared the fear, the anger, and the compassion. For a moment in time, we realized that the meaning of life is not tied to our things but to the people around us, and in the dark est of days, we reached across the globe and became a community. -- M . McEleny "HEROES" SEPTEMBER 1 1 MEETS NOVEMBER 11 Oakville remembers... "V Remember September 11, 2001 Remember it with sadness... Remember it with pride... Remember it with strength, But mostly... Remember it with PRAYER! BO SLEY REAL ESTATE W.H. B O S LE Y & CO. LTD. R EA LTO R CO LDUieLL B A N K jS R Expect the best.® Ill o f us at Bosley l{eal 8stcite rem em ber the tragic events o f Septem ber 11, 2001 a n d h o n o u r the m em o ry o f those w ho lost their lives a n d p a y tribute to those w ho c a n y on w ithout them. Anell Francis Broker/Owner 321 Xakeshore Rd- £ 905-845-9350 Although September 11 will forever be marked by tragedy, it provides the opportunity to reflect on the values we hold dear - among them ... /· Life, Liberty 6 - The Pursuit o f Happiness fo r ALL People. (M P rudential tow n centre realty 905-338-6550 245 Main Street East www.justphonehome.com