9/11 & accessories monday

So yesterday was September 11th - the infamous ten year anniversary of the horrible attacks on America at NYC, the Pentagon, and the field in PA.  When I was a little girl, I remember my parents and grandparents talking about remembering where they were when they first heard of major events such as D-Day, Pearl Harbor, JFK assassination, etc.  I never really imagined having such an experience; however, I remember as though it were yesterday that I was sitting in first period Accelerated English my senior year in high school with Mrs. Dillard when Mrs. Parker came running in the room telling her to turn on the radio because something bad had happened.  I also remember watching the plane hit the second tower on the tv we rigged to work in Mrs. Taylor's German class.  I remember my heart hurting for the people that lost family in the tragic events, I remember being scared for my own family and friends, and I remember being to proud to be an American when I saw the heroism of the first responders, firefighters, paramedics, police officers, and ordinary citizens.

Yesterday on the tenth anniversary, I was incredibly sad at the sheer loss of life - somehow the numbers hit me in the gut to this day. This time, I also felt like I could relate a little to those who had lost loved ones.  I am not saying that I have in anyway the same experience, but I understand and empathize losing someone you love to circumstances beyond my control.  As I watched the coverage of the three memorial services, I missed my Mamaw more than I have in a long time.  That day ten years ago, I was scared but my personal security felt very much intact because I had everyone I loved and made me feel safe.  Today without my Mamaw, I felt a little less secure - she was part of the family fortitude that provided love, security, and safety.  Perhaps that is the tiniest smidge of what the families of the victims of the terrorist attacks ten years ago felt.  We are all united in pain, suffering, and loss as it is no respecter of persons small or great, rich or poor, young or old.

The sadness hits me at times, and then I take a look around at the family I still have around and all the blessings.  I can't complain because I am blessed beyond measure.  So I decided to lighten things around here, I would share with you the second installment of "accessories monday." 

Simple white tee and blue jeans w/ flower scarf, bow bobby pin, earrings, and sweater

Scarf - Clearance @ Cato

Earrings - A Daisy A Day

Bow Bobby Pin - A Daisy A Day

I think I get it from this lady!

Brown Blazer over Cami, White Skirt w/ red belt and red shoes! She is just so stylish!

trees, life, history

So, I have this thing about trees - I love them, and I can't give just one reason for this love of trees.  There are really a great many reasons.  I guess first I should mention that it is just the idea of this amazing creation that is deeply rooted and then defies gravity to shoot into the sky.  Then there is the awesome color - there is something about green that makes me happy and feel alive.  I am sure there is some exact scientific explanation for why green makes me happy, but I simply like to refer to it as one of my happy colors.  The visual person that I am is so very inspired by beautiful and intriguing colors and shapes.  One of the things I love also is that trees are just as beautiful and interesting without the leaves.

See?

I love the lines of the branches and reach of the limbs that seem to stretch out and call out to you. 

Its not just the oak and pine trees, but Christmas trees are one of my favorite things about the Christmas season.  The smell of a real Christmas tree is absolutely amazing - I mean I could just walk up and down the live tree section at Lowe's all day.  It smells like Christmas, and Christmas does not really start to me until the Christmas tree is up and decorated.  

I have always had this thing about trees, and they have always been a big part of my life and what I notice about places I go.  In fact, one of the things that attracted me so much to the house we live in are the Crepe Myrtle trees in the backyard.  Anyways, I am obsessed with trees and history, and it occurred to me the other day that trees are witnesses to history.  There are some beautiful trees around my grandparents' and parents' houses and they have been there at least since my great-grandparents moved to Jones County in the early 1900's.  The trees were there when my great-grandparents built the original home-place and when my grandparents became their neighbors and when my parents built their home.

While working on my master's degree, one of the classes offered was a field experience that took you through some of the oldest places in South Mississippi.  The trees found in Natchez and Vicksburg and everywhere in between were amazingly old and covered in moss.  They  looked so old and beautiful and had been there since the days of the Civil War when the ladies in big ornate dresses lounged underneath the trees during the summer.  The idea of something, anything surviving the years to be around to tell a story of years gone by is wonderful to me. 

If you think about it, trees are a big part of history.  Laurel, the city I call home, was founded on the lumber industry.  Trees were cleared to build the cities in the South, and used to build homes, businesses, etc.  And for those of us who are Christians, there is one tree in particular that is of upmost importance.  As it was a tree that was used to form a cross on which the Savior of the world died so that we might have access to God.  Deeply rooted in love and defying death to stretch out and embrace the world so that all might be saved.