by Lionel Bascom — August 27th, 2007 — 1 comment
The Times Herald Record in upstate New York says:
Race Honors Memory of Trade Center victim …
The sixth anniversary of the World Trade Center tragedy is around the corner and the Meehans still try to make sense of it. They try to understand how and why something like this could have happened. They wonder how one of their own could have been victimized, how a loving, devoted family man with a beautiful wife and a beautiful baby boy and a girl on the way could have been in that building at that time.
“We’re doing OK,'’ Janine Lynch says softly. She’s talking about the entire Meehan family, a big, tight Irish clan, mourning the loss of her brother Damian, 32, who died on Sept. 11, 2001. “It doesn’t get easier. You learn to live with it. But the pain is always there.'’
Damian Jr. is 7 and Madison 5 now. The mother is named Joann, and she’s doing OK, Janine says. She’s a terrific mom, Janine says, which makes sense because Damian was a terrific dad. Now they have his spirit and memories of him and the Damian Meehan Memorial Fund that raises $100,000 a year, including $25,000 in scholarships for high school seniors.
The biggest fundraiser is the annual Damian Meehan Memorial Run, a 3.1-mile cross country race and walk to be held on Sept. 8 in Central Valley. But even the race carries a tinge of sadness. Some 750 runners and walkers showed up the first year. Last year there were around 300.
There are many reasons for the downturn. But the main thing is that people are so darn busy. When’s the last time you sat around on a Saturday or Sunday trying to find something to do? Better yet, the last time you got together with a neighbor?
The answer is always the same: too busy. Too busy working. Too busy chauffeuring the kids from activity to activity. Too busy being spun around by life’s daily grind. We are a society of people who constantly move without stopping to appreciate the smell and taste and feel of life.
The irony is that Damian, those close to him say, held a special love and appreciation for life.
12:00 AM in Uncategorized, World Trade Center, Ground Zero, The Attack, Related Stories, Terrorist Threat, Politics
You are absolutely correct in that today, so many people tend to ignore their senses and focus instead on the end result, rather than the process. This leads to a diminished awareness of true consciousness.
Apparently, Damian Meehan understood the gift of attending carefully to each moment of his life. His final moments have now been recorded, and his wonderful perception of life continues through his story, unfolding with the love and experiences shared by his family.
We are all blessed for having a man such as this among us, for now, even strangers to his family, such as myself, have been touched. Thank you.
Jeanne · August 27th, 2007 at 9:25 pm