I originally wrote this post in 2006 for the 2996 Project. Typically I post it at 9:02 a.m. on September 11. Because this is the tenth anniversary, I am posting it 24 hours early.
In past years, this entry has attracted many wonderful comments and visitors. It has also attracted some comments which detract from the tribute meant with this entry. Some of us only remember Ruth and her family from time to time, but there are those who live with her memory daily. They have suffered more than enough grief by the loss of their loved ones ten years ago today. I will not permit their pain to be exacerbated here. Therefore, for the third successive year, I am operating on an absolute zero tolerance policy for this post. Any offensive comments will be removed by me as quickly as I see them. Posting of such comments may result in your loss of posting privileges on this domain — perhaps immediately — without any further warning. If you are a new poster to this site, your comment will very likely be held for moderation until it is approved. I apologize in advance for this heavy-handed treatment to those of you who would never think of doing such a thing, and hope you understand that this is not in any way directed at you.
Missy has reposted her column from 2006 as well, on her blog with her honoree, David William Nelson.
On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, Ruth McCourt, her four year old daughter Juliana and her best friend Paige Farley-Hackel drove to Boston’s Logan International Airport. They were on their way to southern California. They were going to see friends, they were going to spend a few days at Deepak Chopra’s Center for Well-Being where Paige would receive certification in the Debbie Ford Shadow Process and they were going to take “Miss J” to Disneyland.
Because they wanted to use frequent flier miles, they wound up on different airlines. Paige was on American Airlines flight 11, Ruth and Juliana were on United flight 175. They would meet up at the airport in Los Angeles, California, and begin their mini-vacation.
That same morning Ruth’s brother Ron Clifford, who lives in New Jersey, had a meeting scheduled at the Marriott Marquis in Midtown, but it was moved to the Marriott World Trade Center at the last moment. He and Ruth were especially close, she’d even instructed him on which tie to wear for the meeting. It was a beautiful day, his daughter Monica’s 11th birthday, and this meeting was extremely important to his career future.
The article is about a soldier, who died in Afghanistan. His wife was sitting down going through his things and on his laptop she found two documents. One was marked to her, the other to their baby daughter.
The article at the Daily Mail has the letters, along with the full story and a ton of pictures. Just go read it.
Update — I’ve stuck this one to the top of the front page for a while to make sure it gets noticed. The death toll in Japan is now up to 21,000+ and they’ve confirmed at least one American death — Taylor Anderson, a 24-year old school teacher from Virginia — as well. Scroll down beneath this entry for the latest blogging.
I’m reluctant to Snopes this, because I don’t want it to be a fake. So I’m going to take it on face value and believe it’s real.
It is not known who replied, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.
Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:
Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith
We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven.
That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.
Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, ‘To Meredith’ in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, ‘When a Pet Dies.’ Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:
Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.
Abbey isn’t sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don’t need our bodies in heaven, I don’t have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I’m easy to find, I am wherever there is love.
In order to help doctors illuminate the birthing process and better understand how complications might arise, a German mother agreed to give birth in a specially built MRI machine. This image of the process was captured just before the baby crowned.
Click on the photo to go read the article at PopSci.
… and have a case of tissues on hand when you do. I posted this on my Facebook page but wanted to put it here too, for those who don’t follow FB. I had in mind to write up something nice and something fitting … then I re-read it and started crying all over again. A male friend who saw it on FB sent me a text earlier saying “I hated that I had to explain to my wife why I was crying and then she read the story and said if I hadn’t been crying she’d think I was the biggest jerk on the planet.”
So, since I have no words … just go read the story about Brett Marie Christian and her Homecoming Dance.
On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, Ruth McCourt, her four year old daughter Juliana and her best friend Paige Farley-Hackel drove to Boston’s Logan International Airport. They were on their way to southern California. They were going to see friends, they were going to spend a few days at Deepak Chopra’s Center for Well-Being where Paige would receive certification in the Debbie Ford Shadow Process and they were going to take “Miss J” to Disneyland.
