It's already past midnight in where I live. Not sports related, but I feel the need to make a dedication post. Although I am not an American, my heart goes out to the nation, especially those that have lost a friend, a loved one, a family member or know of someone who lost somebody.
As Celine Dion sings in Fly...
Fly beyond imagining
The softest cloud, the whitest dove
Upon the wind of heaven's love
Past the planets and the stars
Leave this lonely world of ours
Escape the sorrow and the pain
And fly again
Fly, fly precious one
Your endless journey has begun
Take your gentle happiness
Far too beautiful for this
Cross over to the other shore
There is peace forevermore
But hold this mem'ry bittersweet
The memories so clear, like a photograph etched in my mind that I would never forget. I heard the news, that eerie silence with the images of the planes crashing on live tv, the faces of people running for their lives, terrified and in shock. About 1.5 months after I had lost my grandmother to natural causes, the tragedy which would change the lives of thousands, and millions, basically the whole world unfolded beyond our eyes. Something so dramatic, like a blockbuster which had come to reality. Thousands of innocent lives were lost because of evil which came in the form of the hijackers. Many children were left without a parent, or both, parents lost their daughters and sons, families were torn apart, life would never be the same again.
As I vividly recall, it was my drama debut in public (with the private drama school I attended weekly classes at)- at the Substation that fateful night. Excitement consumed me, so much that I did not feel any bit of nervousness to be performing live infront of a crowd of about a hundred and fifty people, as a soon to be fourteen year old. When the first plane struck the North tower, I had no idea it happened, same goes for the second plane and the Pentagon being hit. I was on that stage, set to shine (hopefully!) and enthrall the audience, expressing my best self. The lights came on, curtain call, rush into the audience for congratulatory hugs. Fast forward to packing up, having dinner with the family downtown at a deli... by the time I reached back home it was already close to midnight. First thing I saw when I turned on the tv was reporters talking about a disaster in New York.
They replayed the clips of the planes crashing. I thought to myself, "Are they showing a preview of Con Air the second?", before the sight of the Pentagon and the other United plane going down in a rural part of Pennsylvania finally hit me. Terrorist attack. I stayed up for three hours with the folks to watch the news (had no school the next day) so it was all good. My heart sank. What if it happened in Singapore? Is this the end of the world already? Are they going to catch the mastermind? Are the Yankees going to be okay? What's going to happen to baseball season? What would I do? I started worrying about Cass (my drama teacher who was among the teachers from my drama school in charge of the production; she's got family from NY) and a bunch of other people who were Americans. That night, I couldn't sleep. I kept seeing images of the devil when I closed my eyes, and laid on the couch in my parents room. They too, did not know how to react, other than mom praying for me non stop as I remember. I wasn't really a catholic or believer but at that point in time, I clung on to whatever I could get for comfort.
Hold on to what you have and don't let the moment slip away. Tell everyone whom you love that you really do, give every hug like its your last time hugging them... the things in life we take for granted, cause you might lose it all in a second.
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