Remembering 9/11

We have been threaten with a hurricane today coming from the Atlantic and although the weather in the night was wet and windy, nothing much to worry about.  Today sees the 10th Anniversary of the terrible events in the USA on the 11th September 2001.  I hoisted the USA flag this morning which was then lowered to half mast at 1.47 p.m. (US EST 8.47 a.m.) - the time that the first plane struck the World Trade Centre.  Sara took Tom to hospital late this morning and so I was the only one of the family to attend church (All Saints Winterslow).  Cynthia gave the sermon on the topic of, appropriately enough, forgiveness.  The service was reasonably well attended (about 40 or so).  Back home, I wrote up yesterday's blog and then watched some of the ceremony from Ground Zero on TV.  As Sara, Mary and Tom were all out (Mary staying over with her friend Allie) I cooked a late lunch/early dinner - roast chicken with roast potatoes, stuffing (although I forgot the stuffing) carrots, sugar snap peas and runner beans.  Tom and Mary came back around 4 p.m. with Tom having his arm in a sling - he is off PE, football and other sports for 4 weeks so he will not be attending football practice or playing in any matches for a while.  At 5.30 p.m. I picked up Richard from his home and drove over to Whiteparish to support Alan who was taking his first service as a trainee LWL.  Tonight was a simple BCP Evensong and his talk was on the power and need of prayer.  Tom went over to his friend, Doug's to do some homework together and I met up with Sara, Mary and Tom in the Lion's Head for tonight's quiz.  Our team tonight consisted of myself, Tom, Richard and James.  We didn't win tonight - there being a tie for first place between two teams on 81 points each (we got 80!).  Klynn's team won the tie.  We did very well as though we were only second by only one point, there were a quite a few points between us and the team below us.  Never mind.  Next month we can't win either as we are setting the quiz for the Calendar Girls' charity - Stars Appeal Breast Cancer Fund.  Sara and I watched the Oliver Stone film about the World Trade Center collapse and the rescue of two of NYPA police offers trapped in the rubble of the North Tower.  What a terrible day that was.