Remembering, On the BWL Authors Blog

Remembering. On the BWL Authors blog. https://bwlauthors.blogspot.com/2021/09/where-were-you-when-by-helen-henderson.html  Hope you'll stop by to see one author's tale.

The Sentry, #MFRWHook

Although my excerpts for the MFRW Book Hooks are usually romance, this week's book hook is a reprise of one taken from Hearth and Sand. Presented for your consideration are selected verses from the poem aptly titled, "The Sentry." Like the other stories in the collection that comprises Heart and Sand, "The Sentry" reflects a continuity of service from the past to the present. 

 

Although the poem pertains to a tomb of an unknown soldier, the inspiration for this piece did not come from the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia  or the toss of a wreath into the sea. Instead it was from solemn commemorations held in a small town to mark the one-year anniversary of 9-11-2001. The image of a sentry was a solitary bagpiper atop a hill. The flag was not draping a casket but hoisted from the extended ladder of a firetruck. A line of helmets atop empty boots symbolized the cost of duty.

Excerpt:

 

Eerie notes float across the field
A signal that day is done.
But not for me... not for me
I am the chosen one.

My task is simple
The command understood.
To stand my post
Here at the edge of the woods.

From each generation one soul is drawn
From among the honored dead.
No name is known, no one can mourn
He is a chosen one, a sentry for the dead.

And now I join them
An American soldier known but to God.
We came from desert, jungle, and field.

I am the latest of the lost.

**  END OF EXCERPT ***

For the rest of the poem, I hope you'll consider buying Hearth and Sand. Amazon     More Ebook Sellers 

The tales in Hearth and Sand cross genre from contemporary to historical, and science fiction to poetry and are a collection of twelve tales of those who served on the front lines and the stories of loved ones left behind who preserved the home front. Set universes apart and separated by decades in time, the stories reflect a continuity of service from the past to the present and into the world of tomorrow. Although the events are fictional, the voices captured within these pages came from historical notes, veterans’ own words, letters left by their ancestors, or contemporary events. Pen was put to paper while watching fighter planes land in the Philippine Islands and in the shaded woods of a stateside farm.


Buy Links: Amazon  More Ebook Sellers

This Veterans Day, thank a vet. For freedom isn't free. Thank you for your service.

Line in the Sand #mfrwauthor

Welcome to the next post in the MFRW 52-week challenge. The official topic is "As a reader, what attracts you most to a character." I couldn't answer this as a reader. My writer hat kept slipping making it impossible to think. And when I asked my characters for their thoughts, they just laughed and said, "We are who we are." That really isn't sufficient for what is supposed to be a "thoughtful" post, so I went in another direction, one inspired by the date. The title for the post came from a comment left on the blog post, Never Forget.

I tried to think of a post along the lines of service. Duty, honor, and loyalty came to mind, but that was done. Every option from the price of duty to those who preserve the homefront were considered and tossed. Even the date, 9-11 (or what is now known as Patriot's Day, had a post previously done. However, even though almost two decades have passed since the fall of the Twin Towers, because of my own personal ties both to the date and the event, I kept returning to it.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Author's image

The impact of the date goes beyond the attack on the national psyche, for me it was personal. Although the fall of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and the crash of United Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, can technically be considered two events, for me they are one, inextricably entwined. On the date now simply called 9-11, I lived across the bay from lower Manhattan and stood on the boardwalk watching the smoke rise from the buildings. Other connections were working in the north tower for several years and knowing someone who died on Flight 93. I also had family members stranded when all transportation was halted. One of who was 1800 miles away from home as a result of a death in the family.

   

The fall of the Twin Towers also impacted me professionally. One of the local histories I've been fortunate enough to research and write dealt with a Monmouth County, New Jersey town. The county had one of the highest losses of people that day. Considering that town resident's lost in the towers and on Flight 93 the event had to be included in the history. The writing of which turned out to be quite emotional.

So now the emotions are relived twice. And that didn't include the barrage of mentions in the news day after day, week after week, and for years later. But the date wasn't finished with me. Those same emotions of anger and loss reared again when I wrote the history of a local organization. One of those lost on Flight 93 was a leader of the church and included in the book, which meant reliving those dark days.

Enough reflections. It is time to focus on a happier thought, a special someone's birthday as she turns 91 years young.


~till next time, Helen

U is for 2020

"U", another one of those hard letters. UNCOMMON MERCY, a post-apocalyptic tale in the collection of Hearth and Sand would be a fitting topic. But Kalindra's tale was the "U" post for the 2019 A to Z Challenge. I could do a different excerpt, however considering world events it could be too disturbing for some.
So how did 2020 fit the character "U?" When spelled out, the year still starts with a "T".

Unless you've been hiding in a cave beneath the ocean, 2020 is a year that is unusual, uncertain and full of the unknown. All descriptors which begin with the letter "U." So, a few thoughts from Day 42 of the Isolation Ward.

The first quarter of 2020 contained the fear and uncertainty of 9-11 as I stood on the pier and watched smoke billow into a blue sky. There is also the unknown of the dawn after Superstorm Sandy as you surveyed the damage of your town and its environs. For one entire communities mourned the loss of life, and for the other their homes, livelihoods, and the destruction of their towns and heritage.

But there is a significant difference to the 2020 unknown that is COVID-19. After 9-11, worries were submerged while we figured out ways to get stranded people home. Sandy required different efforts. Teams of local residents worked shoulder to shoulder with out-of-town emergency relief teams to start the work of demotion and rebuilding. Social distancing and no gatherings  minimize the comfort of others or the sense of hope you get when working towards recovery. Instead there is the mourning of what is lost and the fear of the unknown. As of this post, restrictions have not been lifted. And even when they will are, what the world will be like is still unknown.

There is another similarity between 9-11 and COVID-19 that while it doesn't begin with "U," demands to be included. Both events came with a loss of innocence, the knowing that such things could happen. And the suspicion that things would never be the same again, or for at least a very, very long time.

Thank you for your patience during these unsettled times and to the nurses, doctors, and first responders for all their heroic efforts and sacrifices. And also to the truckers and myriad of others working to keep us supplied with food and shelter.

~till next time, As many around us now say, "Stay Strong, Be Safe." Helen


Click on the button to find my next post in the challenge.  Remember, it won't be live until midnight after this entry.

 
If you're interested in following other blogs in the A to Z in April challenge, click on the logo for the master list of the other participants.

Never Forget #mfrwauthor

By the time they've reached a certain age, most people have experienced a number of unforgettable events. Graduation from high school and maybe later college, getting married and the birth of their first child, or the death of a loved one. I decided to go elsewhere for the post and select another day that will take generations before we forget it -- September 11, 2001.

The impact of the date goes beyond the attack on the national psyche it was personal. Although the fall of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and the crash of  United Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, can technically be considered two events, for me they are one, inextricably entwined. No I did not forget the losses at the Pentagon, but read on and you'll see why the other two crashes affected me more.


On the date now simply called 9-11, I lived across the bay from lower Manhattan and stood on the boardwalk watching the smoke rise from the buildings. Other connections were working in the north tower for several years and knowing someone who died on Flight 93. The picture is the tower of light memorial that was held for several years on the anniversary of 9-11. Hundreds of local residents would go to local boardwalks to view the tribute. Even if it was only a slow drive along the shore road or a few moments of quiet prayer standing at the water's edge.

Tribute in Lights (Used under Creative Commons CCO License, via Pixabay)

September 11th also impacted me as a writer. At the time I was finishing up a local history. The impact to the nation and on the community dictated the event be acknowledged in the book. Especially considering town resident's lost in the towers and on Flight 93. What was initially planned as a few lines turned into a chapter--and a warning. With emotions so raw at the time, purchasers were warned about the final chapter in the book so they wouldn't be blindsided. Those same emotions of anger and loss reared again years later when another local history, this time one of an organization was written. One of those lost on Flight 93 was a leader of the church and included in the book, which meant reliving those dark days.

What's a day you'll never forget because of its impact on you? Feel free to share in the comments and be sure to visit the other posts in the challenge. 

~till next time, Helen

We Shall Never Forget

Welcome to Week XX of the MFRW 52-week challenge. The topic is "XXX."

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wrapup


~till next time, Helen

Be sure to see how the other authors answered the question. https://mfrw52week.blogspot.com/




Signup is open for Week XX on "XX")