Friday, September 02, 2005
How to Honor Dead Offspring Right
Sally Goodrich is a truly wonderful woman. I've never met her, but if you click on the story I'm sure you'll agree with me.
For those unable (for whatever reason) to see the story, it's summed up wonderfully in the caption of the lead photo: "Bennington, Vt., resident Sally Goodrich speaks in Kabul, Afghanistan, in April. Goodrich and her husband, North Adams attorney Donald Goodrich, have helped to raise about $180,000 to build a girls' school in Afghanistan in honor of their son Peter, who was killed in the World Trade Center attacks."
Now, this coming September 11 -- the fourth anniversary of the attacks that caused her son's death -- she's going to be in Afghanistan for the groundbreaking of said school. In short, the anniversary of one of history's most blatant acts of destruction and evil will be observed by the beginning of something constructive and good -- and the good will surely, as it always does, outlast the evil in the end.
I personally can't think of anything that anyone could do in higher honor if I'd been in Peter's place.
Too often over the past several years -- before 9/11, and since -- we've seen one or another parent of a dead offspring rise up in their pain and force the whole world to share it. Currently the most notorious lost hers in the war in Iraq (I won't name her here, but I'm sure you know who she is), but I've seen it too in parents whose offspring have been murdered, killed by carelessness, or died by a disease that (at least in their view, and I'm not in any position to dispute any particular case) there should have been a cure for. The urge to name someone responsible and take public vengeance is, apparently, widespread.
I'm not saying that these things should be excused. Not only am I not there, I'm not even in that neighborhood. Murder is wrong under any circumstance. War is one of the ugliest things mankind has ever inflicted upon itself. Corporate carlessness and drunk driving are not far behind. And we should all do what we can to stave off illness.
Now, I have no children of my own, and never have. While that carries with it a certain pain of its own (I'm 44 years old), I won't even try to compare it to the pain of having a child and seeing the end of that child's life. However, the Goodriches are demonstrating that there is a way to do something positive with it.
On the other hand, speaking from the point of view of someone who could have died on more than one occasion in my recent past, I would be very embarrassed to see my parents behaving like the latter group, and most deeply honored to see what Sally Goodrich is going.
I'll modify the last part of that. I am proud of the Goodriches. They are illustrating, for all the world to see, the very best aspects of the character of Americans. They are, in their dead son's name, reaching out beyond just the community in which they live and turning their pain into a blessing for others. This makes me proud to live in the same country, bear the same nationality, and fly the same flag that they do.
I only wish I had a little money to contribute to this cause. Since I don't, I'll give you this news, and let you do with it what you will.
The link at the top is merely the story where I first came across her (I probably would have seen her on the TV news if I currently had TV access). Here are a few more links:
ABC News (Person of the Week!)
Fox News
San Diego Union-Tribune
Paige Elementary School (Schenectady, NY)
iBerkshires.com
Postscript: On a different but related note, I'm also going to mention something more current to all of our lives. You should all be aware that the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Labor Day Telethon is this weekend. I can speak from direct experience that the organization does good in the people's lives; my best friend, Karen McGuire, has myotonic muscular dystrophy, and while they've been restricted in what they can do for her personally (MMD is a rarer form, so more money goes elsewhere) what they've been able to do they've done with great speed, skill, and caring. Please go and give a bit to this fine organization, even if all you can afford is five or ten dollars.
For those unable (for whatever reason) to see the story, it's summed up wonderfully in the caption of the lead photo: "Bennington, Vt., resident Sally Goodrich speaks in Kabul, Afghanistan, in April. Goodrich and her husband, North Adams attorney Donald Goodrich, have helped to raise about $180,000 to build a girls' school in Afghanistan in honor of their son Peter, who was killed in the World Trade Center attacks."
Now, this coming September 11 -- the fourth anniversary of the attacks that caused her son's death -- she's going to be in Afghanistan for the groundbreaking of said school. In short, the anniversary of one of history's most blatant acts of destruction and evil will be observed by the beginning of something constructive and good -- and the good will surely, as it always does, outlast the evil in the end.
I personally can't think of anything that anyone could do in higher honor if I'd been in Peter's place.
Too often over the past several years -- before 9/11, and since -- we've seen one or another parent of a dead offspring rise up in their pain and force the whole world to share it. Currently the most notorious lost hers in the war in Iraq (I won't name her here, but I'm sure you know who she is), but I've seen it too in parents whose offspring have been murdered, killed by carelessness, or died by a disease that (at least in their view, and I'm not in any position to dispute any particular case) there should have been a cure for. The urge to name someone responsible and take public vengeance is, apparently, widespread.
I'm not saying that these things should be excused. Not only am I not there, I'm not even in that neighborhood. Murder is wrong under any circumstance. War is one of the ugliest things mankind has ever inflicted upon itself. Corporate carlessness and drunk driving are not far behind. And we should all do what we can to stave off illness.
Now, I have no children of my own, and never have. While that carries with it a certain pain of its own (I'm 44 years old), I won't even try to compare it to the pain of having a child and seeing the end of that child's life. However, the Goodriches are demonstrating that there is a way to do something positive with it.
On the other hand, speaking from the point of view of someone who could have died on more than one occasion in my recent past, I would be very embarrassed to see my parents behaving like the latter group, and most deeply honored to see what Sally Goodrich is going.
I'll modify the last part of that. I am proud of the Goodriches. They are illustrating, for all the world to see, the very best aspects of the character of Americans. They are, in their dead son's name, reaching out beyond just the community in which they live and turning their pain into a blessing for others. This makes me proud to live in the same country, bear the same nationality, and fly the same flag that they do.
I only wish I had a little money to contribute to this cause. Since I don't, I'll give you this news, and let you do with it what you will.
The link at the top is merely the story where I first came across her (I probably would have seen her on the TV news if I currently had TV access). Here are a few more links:
ABC News (Person of the Week!)
Fox News
San Diego Union-Tribune
Paige Elementary School (Schenectady, NY)
iBerkshires.com
Postscript: On a different but related note, I'm also going to mention something more current to all of our lives. You should all be aware that the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Labor Day Telethon is this weekend. I can speak from direct experience that the organization does good in the people's lives; my best friend, Karen McGuire, has myotonic muscular dystrophy, and while they've been restricted in what they can do for her personally (MMD is a rarer form, so more money goes elsewhere) what they've been able to do they've done with great speed, skill, and caring. Please go and give a bit to this fine organization, even if all you can afford is five or ten dollars.
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