It was late one Tuesday
evening, before a mother could sit down, to tell her only child about
the terror that hit downtown.
She looked into the eyes of her son, God, she loved him so, she felt her
heart begin to break and the hurt begin to show.
She gathered all her strength and courage, as her story she began to
tell. “Baby don’t cry, but I’m afraid daddy might be under a building
that fell.”
The boy looked back at his mother, his eyes made not one blink. And the
mother’s tears began to fall. What would her baby think?
You see, his dad a firefighter, and his hero from the day of his birth.
He loved his dad more than anything else that could ever inherit this
earth.
The mother’s head began to drop, her forehead resting on palm. She
thought her son would be upset. Instead, he was very calm.
The boy leaned over towards his mom, and put his hand upon her head. In
her ear he began to whisper, and this is what he said:
“Mommy please don’t cry, I knew daddy wasn’t coming home. I talked to
him just a while ago, but it wasn”t on the phone.
He told me that he loved me, and he promised we”d meet again. He told of
his new home, and the job he was to begin.”
“God is building an army, and there are many angels needed. That, is
where daddy and the others went. They weren’t all defeated.”
It was then, the mother lifted her head. The tears streamed down her
face. And she could feel her husband’s presence, as it filled her heart
with grace.
It was then she knew her son was right. He was in God’s great army now.
She also knew her son was safe, that he’d be kept from harm somehow.
So, evildoers of the world beware. An army is on the way. Bolstered by
new angels, who left the towers that day.
Their commander has never been beaten. His power has never been matched,
and if evil thinks he was almighty before... Well, the surface has just
been scratched!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!
FREEDOM
The events of September
11th brought me to places I have not visited ever in my entire life. In
my own efforts to understand freedom I had to try to remember what that
ever really meant to me, in the truest sense. In the effort to create a
photographic image for this show, I cast about for something that would
define what it is to be truly free, for that is all that I can think
about now.
Mostly, remembering pure freedom, I remember my childhood. Before things
had hurt me and before I had learned fear. When I was about seven, or
eight years old, we used to have two-week holidays at Tybee Island.
There were old ladies all around us, fawning over us, feeding us
wonderful things...my parents had endless conversations with their
peers, while we children began to form our own relationships that would
last a lifetime.
Fear of any kind, even though many people in these houses remembered
unspeakable things, never entered our minds. This is before the bad
things of the world ever visited the psyche of my childhood.
And today I started to think, "when was that, exactly?" I think I was
about eight years old when the world, my family and all who were around
me was absolutely perfect. "What was I doing? When do I remember this?"
One thing that comes to my mind so starkly that I cannot shake it, is
this:
I was about eight years old. I was alone on a beautiful day, walking
along the top of the sand dunes at Tybee. I remember how happy I was. I
remember the beautiful weather and thinking, "Gosh! This path has hardly
any stickers on it!", as I went from one end of the island to the other,
on a path magically designed for children. I remember the perfect
temperature under my feet as I listened to the ocean. I felt the perfect
sunlight, with not a care in the world. I remember how the wind played
with my hair. I remember how good it felt, to go back to the house, have
lunch with my brothers, listen to their exotic plans for the day, play
cards and have cold watermelon under the eves of a house that seemed to
defy the noon-day heat. Breezes everywhere. What it was like...to feel
fresh, healthy and so satisfied....that the word "happiness" had to have
been invented just for this.
You can’t walk on top of the dunes anymore. The path is gone now, but
many children remember it. So many of us used it as our own personal
highway as a passageway into the bigger world. The dunes now are
protected...fenced off. Our world is so different now, that I can hardly
believe my own memories of simple beauty, perfect space, and a sense of
self that was not a bit lonely.
After the effects of what has happened to this country, I am reminded of
what is true in all cases: We are ultimately alone with our most perfect
joys, with our most perfect God putting us here to experience it. We all
are lucky now and forever, not only to remember our own perfect day, but
to want that to happen to every child on Earth.
North Beach
Amphitheater
Tybee Island finally got a replacement for the Tybrisa Pier & Pavilion
in 1996 after waiting almost 30 years. In as nice as the facility it is,
it still lacks a lot when it comes to being a venue for concerts and art
showings. Anybody that has attended or organized an event there knows
the problems with the acoustics, public traffic, and parking. The county
owns the facility and not only are they not going to be able to upgrade
it, they can't seem to come up with the funds to maintain it either.
At the Tybee City Council meeting on June 13, Jack Boylston & Paul
DeVivo made a request/proposal for a multi-purpose facility at North
Beach parking lot. The idea is to build a stage against the wall of Ft.
Screven under the Shrine Club that would be large enough to accommodate
any size band, orchestra, theatrical production, or art exhibits. The
stage would have a roof that would fit in with the historical site and
also provide the proper acoustics and sound for a good show and at the
same time not impact neighboring homes. The facility would be fenced &
landscaped with sand & palm trees & would be perpetually cared for and
maintained. A small portion of the parking lot would be within the
fence.
The plans call for this site to be owned by the city of Tybee and
managed by a to be organized "authority" appointed by city council.
So far, The Savannah Bank, Adventure Radio Group, and Live Performance
Solutions have formally endorsed the proposal. Other businesses will be
coming forth very soon.
Anyone in the community that is interested in being a part of this
effort can contact - Jack or Paul at 786-5448.
