Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup For The Soul |
Today as we mark the 10th anniversary of the most devastating terrorist attack in America’s history, like so many people, I am experiencing a wide range of emotions…sadness, anxiety, shock, fear, uncertainty, and hope. The images conjured up by that day, 9-11-01, will be forever engraved in the minds of Americans.
Even today, ten years later, I am in shock and disbelief that something so horrible could happen. Last night, I was restless, feeling on edge, feeling sad for all those who lost loved ones on 9-11, thinking about the unfathomable human loss and all the families whose lives were forever changed on that day.
With emotions running all over the map, I was antsy and needed to calm my nerves. And so, I made a pot of Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, something that calms my nerves and comforts the soul.
Although we may never understand the senseless loss of so many innocent lives, we can live in the hope that we can be a more compassionate and loving people, helping one another as so many people did on September 11, 2001, sacrificing their lives for others, putting others before themselves.
I’d like to share a poem written by a man from our town, Eamon J. McEneaney, beloved husband and the father of four children, who lost his life on 9-11. An executive at Cantor Fitzgerald and a star lacrosse player at Cornell University, Eamon McEneaney was looking forward to a life of writing, and had plans to go part-time at his job. After his death, his wife, Bonnie McEneaney, found this poem and a collection of poems that he wrote since high school, and organized them for publication in A Bend in the Road.
My thoughts are uncontrollable,
as they seem to create tears,
at times.
And I know I love you.
The family grows old and dusty,
death lurks at each corner of our lives.
The clock on my wall smiles,
it is patient.
I bless the fractional moment on earth that we
have touched together.
If nothing more,
you,
My family,
Have made me love.
– Eamon McEneaney
(Source: Irish Tribute, October 2001)
Eamon McEneaney’s wife, Bonnie, published a New York Times Bestseller in 2010, Signs, Visits, and Premonitions from Loved Ones Lost on 9/11, a collection of stories from family and friends of victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Her book explores spirituality after the loss of a loved one and how faith can play a role in navigating grief and accelerating the healing process. Some of these stories will be aired in the TV broadcast of “Beyond: Messages from 9/11” on A&E Biography channel on Sunday, September 11, 2011.
Touching post…thank you for writing it 🙂
thanks for the post jeanette.
Beautiful post that reflects the emotions many of us are processing today.
A very lovely post and a perfect recipe
Mary
Beautiful post Jeanette. Chicken noodle soup is definitely a calming and healing dish. I could have used some yesterday.
Thank you for sharing your thought's Jeanette. Lovely poem.
What a beautiful idea for a post Jeanette. Isn't it wonderful to have a space to dedicate our most meaningful thoughts?
9-11 strikes a chord with all of us, and has changed how so many Americans live their lives. Even ten years later, the impact feels so recent. May God bless all those who lost loved ones on 9-11 and bring comfort, security, and hope to the American people.
i flew on sunday, the 10th anniversary . . . on united airlines . . . it was a somber day Jeannette . . . eerie, sad, quiet, reflective; the impact of that day 10yrs ago will always be part of us – it changed us all forever . . .
Jeanette this is such a loving tribute and that is so sad about your friends husband. His poem is beautiful.