Category: Writing Ramblings

It’s been seven years, but the pain is still fresh, the wounds raw. I wish I could say it was easier to handle for many, but I can’t imagine how it is for the families who lost loved ones that day. If I’m feeling this bad, how must they be feeling? How can they deal with this day and every other one which they face without loved ones taken from them.

It’s cloudy today which makes it a little easier for me to try and forget that day which had a cloudless sky so blue it was if you were staring at a tropical ocean above you. The air was crisp and clean that day, unlike today’s cloying humidity. A little easier, but still . . . raw.

There are reminders everywhere. The big ones you can’t miss like the front pages of the papers or the mobile police command unit and squad cars screaming by as they go to set up shop in areas that might be prime targets for terrorists. The reminders on the newscast about the timeline of events for that day.

Then there are the not so obvious reminders. My sis (who works with me) is wearing a black shirt today. All along the cuffs and down the front of the shirt is a trimming of little black hearts. A beautiful shirt, I told her and then she said to me, “Black hearts for all the people who died. I wear it every 9/11.”

So today, take a moment to think about what happened that day. How innocent people lost their lives. How bravery came in the form of so many different faces – ordinary citizens, firefighters, police, priests, the military.

Think about how a city came together in the aftermath, putting their beloved New York above self as they came to sift through the wreckage and offer their services and their blood.

Think about how a Nation came together to say, NEVER AGAIN.

Think about those who make that NEVER AGAIN a possibility. Ordinary citizens who speak out about something as simple as an abandoned knapsack on a train seat. The law enforcement and national security people at all levels who give of their time as well as their families. The military and their families who sacrifice so much so that we might be safe. Bless them one and all for what they do for us.

Remember this day and pray that our future leaders will also remember it and take the necessary steps to insure that vow.

NEVER AGAIN.

Making any kind of choice can sometimes be rough. Making the difficult choice can alter the course of your life. It’s why I try not to second guess the choices people make in their lives. It’s why I lean toward allowing people to be able choose.

Which I guess is why I’m kind of surprised by some of what I’m hearing about Sarah Palin, the presumptive Republican VP candidate. I’m surprised to hear and read comments which seem to imply that there was something wrong about her choice to bring a Down’s Syndrome baby into this world.

I can’t imagine what it must feel like to be told your child will have special needs. A life altering experience for a mother, a father and a family.

I could understand how some would choose not to undertake such a difficult path, but being pro-choice is also about being able to decide to keep that child.

Some thoughts for today’s Thursday, along with a return to an earlier discussion about SENATOR Hilary Clinton and sexism since it seems we’re back to that now with this candidate. I’ve already heard her described as a soccer mom, beauty queen and the hottest governer in the country.

It’ll be interesting to see what else will be said during the course of the next few months.

Last year I conducted a poll on multicultural fiction. I had a number of published authors (about 40) from diverse backgrounds offer their opinions on the state of mutlicultural fiction in publishing.

One of the topics on which I polled authors was Literary Segregation, namely, the practice of shelving books based on the author’s ethnicity or race or on the content of the book. This is something that happens in a number of book stores. I can’t speak as to whether it happens at many libraries as in general, I have not seen it done in my local libraries, but if you are aware of the practice at such locations, please chime in.

The vast majority of the writers were not in favor of this practice. Many felt that it reduced their sales and limited their opportunities for cultivating new readers who were not multicultural. During a recent discussion at the RWA National Conference, this issue arose once more and the consensus of the group that participated was again that this practice hurt diversity authors.

What do you think about this kind of segregation? Do you go to such sections in bookstores and/or libraries?

There seem to be many bookstores with African-American sections. Do you see similar sections for Latino books?

Inquiring minds want to know!