Nine/eleven

It is hard to believe that it has been 19 years to the day since the world centre went down. It is even harder to believe that the chaos of today can have eclipsed the anniversary of that horrible, mind numbing day but it pretty much has.

America is essentially on fire. That is both a metaphor and a concrete reality. There is a pandemic, claimed to be waning but, waning at a catastrophically high level. There are fires ravishing the lives of people in the western half of the nation. My family on Vancouver island is dealing with the smoke....the least of some peoples worries as their houses go up in flames. The social unrest and the fear and loathing associated with the presidential campaign just adds to the pain.

Earlier today, I found myself with my friend Brian at the memorial to 27 Canadians killed on 9/11 in the World Trade Centre. Located on the edge of a woods on the south shore of Lake Ontario it is a calming contrast to the current reality. Basically it is a series of trees dedicated to the persons lost. They are fine trees, many of them now substantial since they were several years old at the time of planting. They are identified by common and botanical names and represent a great cross section of the trees native to our region.

The dedication plaques make one think. Some of the persons lost, worked at the centre, others were there on business from Canada and a few were just there to visit a relative. All of them, like thousands of Americans started the day with the expectation of eating a good dinner and didn't make it.

That makes me sad.