Louisiana, who is in Louisiana for a wedding, writes a quickie letter to her friend in Texas, Phoebe Pearson, who is now in Tennessee, at Louisiana's house. She writes to reassure her friend that all is well.
September 11, 2004~
Dear Phoebe~
I am so embarrassed; I am sorry I wasn't there when you got to my house! But didn't I tell you NOT to make any special plans to come to Tennessee? But since you are already there, I am glad that Pepere' let you stay; at least I don't have to worry so much now! Hope you had a safe trip to Tennessee!
I am here in Louisiana, as a friend (Jenna Aurora Whitson) is getting married in a few hours; she and Michael Doucet, her husband to be, are getting ready now, and the weddding is scheduled for three o'clock today. We are getting ready too. I am in the wedding (I am one of the matrons of honor), and Bill is too; he is supposed to be one of the best men. Our kids Barbara, Ronee', and Johnny, are also in the wedding. Johnny is acting as ringbearer, and Ronee' and Barbara are two of the flower girls. I am typing this on my laptop while I am getting my hair styled; it isn't easy to do! LOL I pray everything goes well!
But in my heart, I hold a lot of sadness and pain. As you know three years ago today, America was attacked by evil terrorists, and because of their hate, twin towers no longer stand tall in NYC, and the Pentagon isn't as impenetrable as it once was prior to the attacks. Nearly 3,000 people, men, women, even children, perished in the attacks, and the attacks left our nation shaken and battered; and today, we mark the memory of that sad day with tributes to the fallen and we still cry for those lives who were so senselessly taken. I grieve too; I lost friends in the attacks, and I have friends who lost loved ones and friends; and my heart breaks for all of them. I can't imagine what they must be going through, and as I think of the deaths of my own friends, tears fill my eyes and pain fills my heart; and three years later, the pain and sadness is just as great.
Because of the attacks, our nation is no longer the same, and we now live a "new normal"; and now we are at war with an unseen enemy. We no longer feel as safe or secure as we once did, and now things are altogether different whenever we use our airports or any other public place, and extra security patrols the buildings and events that we go to. We also wait in longer lines as we are searched and questioned; and we are worried for the safety of our loved ones. We live in uncertainty and fear of another attack, and people don't trust each other anymore. But I am leaning on God to get us through these uncertain times of war and fear, and I am leaning on Him to protect us from further attacks or harm; and I am praying that we rid the world of these terrorists. They may not know it now, but in the end, they are the ones who are going to lose, and they will be sorry they messed with America and her allies!
But we must learn to go on; and we also must not forget. This is why today is a combination of sadness and joy for me. Sadness because of what happened three years ago today and the loss of friends in the attacks, and gladness because two friends of mine are getting married and will soon be husband and wife in a matter of hours. Jenna and Michael knew that today was going to be hard on us, so they wanted to take away some of the sadness that I feel inside my heart by getting married. I also carry the memory of the loss of one of my own children, Aron Jakob Sandusky, who died sixteen years ago today on what would have been his fourth birthday. Today Aron Jakob Sandusky would have been 17 and a junior in high school. But he is with Jesus now, and so are his brother, Pierre Armand, who would have been 15, and their younger sister, L'Acadia Marie Antoinette, who would have been 14 in December of this year. She would have been in junior high school today had she lived.
I hope that you are well. How are the children, and how is your husband doing? Please tell them all hello, and give them all hugs from me. And give a special hug to Linn Chan and her sister, Hanh Ly! We really miss the girls, and we will never forget the brief time we had together! I am so glad they are with you; you are perfect for them, and I am sure that they are happy that they have a family at last! If you want, have the girls write a letter; I would really love to hear from them!
Well, sweet Phoebe, I must go; I have to continue to get ready for the wedding. My hair is about dry now; they will soon be styling my hair, and I will soon be getting a makeover; and then get dressed for the wedding. I hope you have a good time with the rest of the kids, and I hope that you have fun at my house! I am just sorry that I can't be there! I hope we can be back before you head back to Texas; we haven't seen each other in quite a long while!
Until later, take care, and give the other kids a (((HUG))) from me! And tell them to behave or mama'll be on them faster than Hurricane Ivan! LOL God bless you, Phoebe, and thanks for your prayers!
(((HUGS))) and much love, your friend in Tennessee (who is now in Louisiana! LOL), Louisiana Mayrah. :(
P.S.: In regards to Jamee Nichelle, my granddaughter: she does have a neuromuscular disorder. She is showing the beginning signs of Becker muscular dystrophy. The diagnosis IS bad, but it could have been a lot worse. Please keep her (and us) in your prayers! We are devastated at the news, but we will get through it with God's help!
Let this coming of age story of a boy named Bean take you back to a simple time. Set in a small southern town in the 1960's, encircled by a river and gleaming white cotton fields.
September 11, 2004~
