Category Archives: General

One of those dates that remain indelibly etched in the minds of many, for how long, is another story. If you’re old enough to remember the horrors of September 11, you know where you were when it happened. I was watching cable television as it unfolded live before me.

I read an article once that young people in school were not alive when our nation came under attack. To me, it seems like it wasn’t all that long ago. Being 24 years now, those graduating from college were not yet born, and those in high school now would be so young as to have no accurate recollection.

Another reality, of course, is what is being taught in schools now. There is a tendency to sanitize so all will feel good, and when a member of Congress says, “Some people did something” that day, that’s even scarier than schools failing to teach so the feelings of others suffer no discomfort. I think feelings should not be spared when teaching the truth. The perpetrators were not just “some people.” They were, in fact, particular people.

It was not articulated by a member of Congress and is nameless here because I refuse to acknowledge her, saying, “Some people did something;” It’s important to remember the sacrifices made by many that day and in the times after.

So, gently remind others why this date is so important, especially if you run into someone too young to remember or not yet born. Indeed, it was the Pearl Harbor of our time, and while I’m way too young to remember December 7, 1941, I know about the day and what happened afterward. We need to remember September 11, 2001, in the same way. Both days should be “a date which will live in infamy.”

Remember, too, the first and last stanza of a poem by Alan W. Jankowski entitled We Shall Never Forget:

“Let the world always remember,

That fateful day in September,

And the ones who answered duty’s call,

Should be remembered by us all.

“And never forget the ones no longer here,

Who fought for the freedoms we all hold dear,

And may their memory never wane,

Lest their sacrifices be in vain.”

September 11 is known as Patriots Day. You’re asked to observe a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. when the first plane was turned into a flying torpedo and bombed the World Trade Center. This led to 2,977 innocent Americans murdered and more than 6,000 injured. That’s more American casualties than on D-Day in World War II and more than four times the number of casualties at Pearl Harbor. It was a horrific day, but America responded.

It’s not just about the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, or a little field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania (a truly remarkable account of the American spirit that everyone should learn about); it’s about the United States of America. As the poem states, don’t let their sacrifices be in vain by being one who will ALWAYS REMEMBER!

May God Bless America

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 NKJV

Photo Charlie with his wife and children

Photo of 31-year-old Charlie Kirk in Utah at event today, shortly before he was assassinated.

Last night, my wife’s computer was on. In the background, I heard part of a video; I listened to a soldier ask that we say a prayer for him. I didn’t hear the full context. He concluded with the words, “We need it.”

The Bible instructs us to pass our worries, our concerns, and our fears to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, because He cares for us. It doesn’t erase the anxiety we face; it tells us we’re not alone, that we can put our trust in God to carry us through the burden we face.

This is a little different start for this page, but it’s my mom’s (Dolores Stefanik Thompson) birthday. She’d be 91 today. This photograph, professionally done, surprises me, given our limited budget when it was taken in 1956. In 1956, my mom took a dime to work as a telephone operator. I had to choose between buying a Coke for lunch or using the bus to get close to home and walking the rest of the way.

Both her birthday and mine, two days later, are in September. My mom would be 22 here and looks to be in style for the time. I would be four, and I’m not demonstrating any style at all. I have pictures of her holding me as a baby, but I always liked this one. Although I could have posed as the Gerber baby and started a career as a model. For those wondering, it’s a black & white photo and then painted. Common back then, I’m told.

But it was both my parents, my dad more so, who urged me to go to law school after I got out of college and was wandering from job to job. My mom quit school at 17 to get a job, but she went back and finished high school the same year I did, 1971. So, though she finished with a program called ICS, really, we’re both part of the Class of ’71. Later, she went to college and graduated.

I didn’t find this out until after she died, when I found her diploma. She believed education was important, as did my dad. They both thought that I going to law school would be good, more so my dad. The reasoning is a separate story,

She started her career in a beauty salon, then became an operator for Ohio Bell before moving from Cleveland to the small town of Mantua to work in a bar owned by her parents (Andy and Mary Stefanik), Andy’s Bar. She would also sell real estate and, strangely enough, sold a home to a family named Livezey, moving to Mantua from New York.

That was in 1967. I remember mom telling me about the family having one daughter, and she was cute and my age. She was right about that, although the girl didn’t seem to like me all that well. But, 38 years later, I would marry the girl from New York. My mom would never know, having died six years prior, but would have been happy about it for us, and embraced the girl from New York. My dad did, although he didn’t quite make it to the wedding date either.

Even though I change this up every year, I always mention that her birthdate was also the official end of World War II. The ironic part was that my dad was being kept in Europe with the Army Air Force because of a possible invasion of Japan. The war finished for my dad on September 14 when he left Europe for the States, which is my birthday.

So, while she can’t be here for any more birthdays, each September 2, I celebrate her birthday in my heart with love.

I know John 14:6 is about Salvation, but when I pray to God, because of John 14:6, I start with, “Heavenly Father, through my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I pray…”

There’s no biblical requirement that I am aware of to do this, but there’s support for it in 1 Timothy 2:5, John 16:23, and, I believe, Romans 8:26. I do it by choice. The most important thing is to pray to have a personal relationship with God. I believe He likes hearing from us.