From Daryl aka Avery:
9/11 will never evoke good memories for most of America. It was a time of tragedy for our country. Now, twelve years later, it serves as a day of reflection.
My heart goes out to those
who suffered and those that lost loved ones. To all the heroes. To all those that heroes left behind.
May we continue to move forward and continue to heal.
May we continue to move forward and continue to heal.
Here's a link to the National 9/11 memorial site
I visited the memorial site, soon after the attack. I will never forget all the letters posted to walls around the devastation. I have experienced much loss in my life, but I have never felt anything so massively poignant as seeing this kind of devastation. I visited the site again, with the reflecting pools in place. It is a truly beautiful and awesome tribute.
FYI: [from the website] The Memorial’s twin reflecting pools
are each nearly an acre in size and feature the largest manmade waterfalls in
the North America. The pools sit within the footprints where the Twin Towers
once stood. The names of every person who died in
the 2001 and 1993 attacks are inscribed into bronze panels edging the Memorial
pools, a powerful reminder of the largest loss of life resulting from a foreign
attack on American soil and the greatest single loss of rescue personnel in
American history.
However, on a good note for me and my family, 9/11 is also a day of joyous memories. My son, Jack, and
his wife, Rebecca, decided to make a "new" memory on a tragic day.
They married on 9/11 four years ago at Walt Disney World in Orlando. They didn't want
to spend the rest of their lives thinking horrible things on this date. They
live in New York.
With Rebecca in our lives,
we are learning new lessons about mixing cultures. She is Cuban. The culture of
her food is spectacular!
Whenever Jack and Rebecca come to visit in Los
Angeles, we taste new flavors, most of the recipes passed down from her family.
Most recently, we had a roast
pork, beans (frijoles), and rice dinner that was delicious. Jack has always been
a cook. A month or so ago, I showed you pictures of him making Easter eggs at the age of 3. His love of cooking started then; it never stopped. He is fearless in the kitchen. At one point
when he was 14, he considered becoming a chef. We went to a number of
restaurant cooking courses. Fun! Of
course, after those experiences, Jack wanted to become an Iron Chef (instant
notoriety). Life intervened; possibly a little reality, too.
He is now pursuing patent law.
Rebecca is pursing a career in preserving film.
I hope
you’ll enjoy the meal Jack and Rebecca made for us. It was full of flavor and
lots of fun to put together. [I was a sous chef.]
Remember, whatever the trauma in your life, make new memories. Do your best to move
beyond. Believe in the future. Change is possible.
CUBAN RICE
Ingredients:
2 cups long grain rice
4-5 cups water
3-4 garlic cloves, sliced or minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
Place the rice, water, garlic, and olive oil into a saucepan.
Bring to a boil and keep on high until craters form and the water
looks to be mostly evaporated. (10-15 minutes)
Cover and turn the heat to the lowest setting for 8-10 minutes.
CUBAN FRIJOLES
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups black beans, dried
9 cups water
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt