The OLD FiReCrAcKeR
Friday, July 09, 2004
lethargic.
yep. I've been delinquent in updating this... sorry. The beach was just too much more fun (that, and i broke mom's internet. or, it broke when i was there...yeah...)
anyways. So i promised that whole "thoughtful" post a while ago. Well, considering I've had a week or so to think about it, I think I'll do it now. So, with all of this packing and cleaning you're bound to come across things that you haven't seen for a while. Some things that you can just throw out (calc tests), others that have some sort of sentimental value to them (coconuts from orange bowl), some that you didn't think you saved but found and want to destroy (um... the engagement announcement?), etc. Well, i'm gonna write about a letter that i found, from a friend who has since passed away as a result of 9-11-01. He actually died a year later (on 9-11-02), but as a result from injuries sustained on 9-11-01.
thoughtful blog/
Anyways, on to writing... here's an excerpt from a letter from Leigh Michael Osment, 3/02:
"he looked at me, eyes so so sad, and pulled from his pocket a picture... a tattered, bloodstained picture of a little girl. He told me all about her, how she was his granddaughter, and how he loved her very much and to tell her that everything was going to be ok and to 'spread as much love as she could in this solemn world.' I told him I would do my best to find the girl, and tell her his message, but assured him that his chances of survival were pretty good. He smiled at me and looked away. We got him out from the debris but on the way to the hospital he coded, and died of heart failure...
"I kept looking for his granddaughter. And one day, six months later, I happened to find her. I told her his message and she was awestruck. She said it had special meaning for her because her grandfather was a widowed man, who never gave up on love, but, she had negative experiences in the past and her grandfathers word gave her a light into the future. It was at this point i realized my carrer path helped certain people more than just
providing emergency care for them...
"I'm writing about all of this to you because I know that you've been discouraged. Because I know this country has been discouraged. I know that it's natural instinct when you're hurt to fight back... but maybe we all need to be like the old man and truly let our love flow. Love can combat all hate, and there is no force stronger. The only problem with love is that when you open yourself up that much, you're open to scorn, hurt, and ridicule by those who don't understand. The only reason someone can hurt you, is because they don't understand you. Even though you're bound to get hurt, you must share that love, and everything will work out. Think of how much nicer a place the world would be, if all hate were replaced by love. It's unimaginable... "
It meant so much to read that again, and to remember. Every experience in life happens for a reason. Negative or Positive, everything has a lesson that can be learned. At the point when leigh sent this letter, I had just about decided there was no such thing as love, and that fairy tales were just that- that something that perfect could never exist here. But looking back and reading that, Leigh was probably trying to tell me that in sharing love, even though I will open myself to being hurt, there will be those few times where the favor will be returned. And despite getting hurt on numerous occasions, it is those few and precious times that you need to look forward to in order to live life. Or, you decide what he meant. Take it and run with it. But share your love... at least we can make a small part of the world better...
To remember is to honor.
God Bless Leigh Osment and his family, FDNY 3/12/80-9/11/02.
/thoughtful blog
So... yeah. yeah, i know. easier said than done. ::again::
all i'm saying is I'll try. You should too.
take it or leave it. But please take it. please?
anyways. So i promised that whole "thoughtful" post a while ago. Well, considering I've had a week or so to think about it, I think I'll do it now. So, with all of this packing and cleaning you're bound to come across things that you haven't seen for a while. Some things that you can just throw out (calc tests), others that have some sort of sentimental value to them (coconuts from orange bowl), some that you didn't think you saved but found and want to destroy (um... the engagement announcement?), etc. Well, i'm gonna write about a letter that i found, from a friend who has since passed away as a result of 9-11-01. He actually died a year later (on 9-11-02), but as a result from injuries sustained on 9-11-01.
thoughtful blog/
Anyways, on to writing... here's an excerpt from a letter from Leigh Michael Osment, 3/02:
"he looked at me, eyes so so sad, and pulled from his pocket a picture... a tattered, bloodstained picture of a little girl. He told me all about her, how she was his granddaughter, and how he loved her very much and to tell her that everything was going to be ok and to 'spread as much love as she could in this solemn world.' I told him I would do my best to find the girl, and tell her his message, but assured him that his chances of survival were pretty good. He smiled at me and looked away. We got him out from the debris but on the way to the hospital he coded, and died of heart failure...
"I kept looking for his granddaughter. And one day, six months later, I happened to find her. I told her his message and she was awestruck. She said it had special meaning for her because her grandfather was a widowed man, who never gave up on love, but, she had negative experiences in the past and her grandfathers word gave her a light into the future. It was at this point i realized my carrer path helped certain people more than just
providing emergency care for them...
"I'm writing about all of this to you because I know that you've been discouraged. Because I know this country has been discouraged. I know that it's natural instinct when you're hurt to fight back... but maybe we all need to be like the old man and truly let our love flow. Love can combat all hate, and there is no force stronger. The only problem with love is that when you open yourself up that much, you're open to scorn, hurt, and ridicule by those who don't understand. The only reason someone can hurt you, is because they don't understand you. Even though you're bound to get hurt, you must share that love, and everything will work out. Think of how much nicer a place the world would be, if all hate were replaced by love. It's unimaginable... "
It meant so much to read that again, and to remember. Every experience in life happens for a reason. Negative or Positive, everything has a lesson that can be learned. At the point when leigh sent this letter, I had just about decided there was no such thing as love, and that fairy tales were just that- that something that perfect could never exist here. But looking back and reading that, Leigh was probably trying to tell me that in sharing love, even though I will open myself to being hurt, there will be those few times where the favor will be returned. And despite getting hurt on numerous occasions, it is those few and precious times that you need to look forward to in order to live life. Or, you decide what he meant. Take it and run with it. But share your love... at least we can make a small part of the world better...
To remember is to honor.
God Bless Leigh Osment and his family, FDNY 3/12/80-9/11/02.
/thoughtful blog
So... yeah. yeah, i know. easier said than done. ::again::
all i'm saying is I'll try. You should too.
take it or leave it. But please take it. please?
:: posted by Laura, 19:46
1 Comments:
You're really blessed to have known someone like that... I'm so sorry that the author had to pass on. Thanks for sharing the letter- it was very inspirational and touching.
~Sarah
~Sarah
