Memories

This is a time of the year when memories take on a poignant shading: memories of Tommy, memories of 9/11. I find myself more aware of the connections between past and present, between people, between choices and results.

This morning I received an email from a lovely young women that I probably would not know if it weren't for our shared grief.

We both lost younger brothers that dark day. A connection.

Our brothers happened to be friends.  

Another connection.

Later this morning I received a call from a woman who wanted to donate an item as a prize for our memorial golf outing. She saw a poster I had created and felt a connection.

She lost a friend that day.

We sometimes think we are all alone, but life has shown me how very shared even the most painful of moments can be - if we open ourselves to the sharing. To the connections.