Military Family Central

/ Family Member /

Tweet

This year, as I prepare to observe the anniversary of September 11, I have decided to take my solemn and respectful observation a step further from passive remembrance to actively honoring those who lost their lives and those who gave so much on that day.

It was truly a witness of the American spirit to see men and women running toward disaster instead of away from it.

Where were you on September 11, 2001?

This is a question we hear every year. Every year I tell my story. This year, however, I want to focus more on what I can do to make the day a time of remembering the victims, and the selfless giving of the volunteers who responded to the terror attacks in New York, on Flight 93 and at the Pentagon.

The morning of September 11, 2001, I was preparing for meetings in the Capital Building concerning Childhood Cancer Awareness week. I worked for a foundation that funds pediatric oncology research. It was to be quite a grand week for us. However, that morning everything changed. I saw terrorism up close and personal. I did not get to watch it from a distance while I came to grips with what was happening. It unfolded in person, real life time, no barriers to remove me from the feeling of terror.

I think it’s important for eyewitnesses to share their stories. It’s important to document what happened and how it happened. It helps in the healing. However, moving forward is important too. I think that serving and giving back to the community is one way to honor the memory of all of the heroes who rose to the call that morning. It was truly a witness of the American spirit to see men and women running toward disaster instead of away from it. I want to embody that same spirit everyday by actively seeking ways to help those who come across my path.

Volunteering

Here are a few volunteer ideas for 9/11 and throughout the year. You can do these alone, as a family, with a friend or as a community project. You can do them on a military base or out in the civilian community. I can not do each of these on that day, but I can do them throughout the year and remember mindfully and with gratitude the selfless giving of our 9/11 heroes and our military heroes who sacrifice everyday:

• Contact your local VA to see how you can help hospitalized Veterans in your area.
• Call your local parks and recreation center to see if there are any clean up days on the calendar that you can participate in. If there isn’t, ask how you can help them organize one.
• Volunteer to read and visit with the elderly in a local nursing home. There is a lot of loneliness that you can impact for the better with a simple visit.
• Join The Linus Project and make blankets for children who are facing serious illnesses. They have patterns for no sew blankets all the way up to more difficult patterns. Invite some friends and make a day of it!
• Join the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in your area. If there is no race in your area, call the Foundation and see what you can do to change that!
• Adopt a solider! Visit Soldier’s Angels for more information.
• If you need more ideas call your local Chaplain’s office,  United Way or American Red Cross agencies. Tell them you would like to find a way to volunteer in your community. They will have some ideas for you.

Random Acts of Kindness

This is a little different than a volunteer commitment. This can be a single act or several acts of intentional kindness that you set out to do in your community. Here are some examples of random acts, but get creative with this! See what small things you can do that are specific to your community!

• Buy a mixture of individually wrapped goodies such as snack crackers, peanuts, etc. and leave them as a ‘care basket’ in the waiting room of your local VA. Leave a thank you note on the basket for the Veterans who may take you up on your offer of a snack while they wait for their appointment.
• If you are a person of faith, make it a point to pray for your chaplain. Write a note thanking your chaplain and letting him/her know you are praying for them!
• Help your neighbor mow his lawn or weed his garden.
• Make a casserole for someone in your community who is preparing to PCS.
• Be mindful and hold the door for others while entering or exiting a building.
• Take a small bunch of flowers to the new family on the block. Welcome them warmly.
• Buy the coffee for the person behind you in line at the coffee shop.

I hope you have enjoyed entertaining all of the possibilities of how we can observe, honor and remember the undying beauty of the American Spirit. If you decide to join me in this endeavor, please let me know in the comment section! Yes, you can make that one of your random acts! Share with this community what you are doing!

Related posts: