It was a Tuesday.
The oldest 5 kids were at school.
The TV was on in the background
Then our local TV station broke in
and were talking about a plane
crashing into a building in New York City.
I sat down in front of the TV
for more information.
At first I thought it might be
a small engine plane
just a random lost pilot
who crashed into a building.
The word"terrorist"
came out of the TV.
Terrorist? really?
I had no idea.
Then in horror,
the 2nd plane hit
and I was glued to the TV
listening for more.
Then the Plane crash
in Pennsylvania.
Who was attacking us
and why?
President Bush was supposedly
already in the air
on his way to Norad...
right here in the Springs.
All air traffic came to a halt.
And our Air Force Academy closed it's gates.
Nobody In, Nobody Out.
I picked up my kids
from school.
and held them tightly at home,
waiting for
"what's next?"
As my kids and I watched the news,
Dani turned to me and said
"what about the kids?"--
meaning the children whose parents
died in the terror.
"We have to do something, Mom."
Two days later,
Dani put together a
non-profit organization
called
"TLC TEDDIES"--
she launched a huge teddy bear drive
and got some local newspaper
and radio attention for it.
This being a huge military town,
donations came from
EVERYWHERE!
Everyday was like Christmas
at our house...
just a constant flow of bears
coming in the front door.
In all shapes and sizes!
One night the phone rang,
I answered it, and the voice on the other end
said,
"Look on the porch!"
We all made a mad dash
to the front door
to find half-dozen beautiful
Gund Bears sitting together
on the porch swing!
We never did find out
who left them,
but Wow! what a fun
surprise!
Bears came from everywhere:
The police department
high schools
elementary schools
One Edison Elementary
handmade teddy bears in
patriotic fabric for the drive!
They were beautiful and each had
a sweet message attached
by the child who'd sewn it.
Walmart
Daycare centers
Businesses
Churches...
Bears came from
all over the country--
Chicago
San Francisco
and Houston;
in the end she collected
nearly 5,000
brand new or nearly new
teddy bears.
Swift trucking
out of Phoenix, AZ.
sent a truck to our house
and took those bears to
United Way
in New York City, NY
just before
Thanksgiving Day.
We cried when the truck left--
the people who came to our
home and dropped them
off,
shared their own stories and feelings
about 9/11.
We loved
loved
loved
having a house full
of
Teddy Bears!
Doing something for others
helped us to heal from the
sorrow and fear.
Our only hope is that
those little bears
comforted some little one's
hearts too.
Isn't it amazing
that's how it always is?
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20011028/ai_n9996430/
Dani's hand-made poster...
Dani and a portion of the bears that filled our livingroom for months.
What about you? Where were you?
Did you do anything to help heal yourself,
your family or your country?
Did you do anything to help heal yourself,
your family or your country?
