On Memorial Day 2026

 

"True patriotism is usually born of great sacrifice,

 and is never the result of selfishness."

~Napoleon Hill

As we stop today, to reflect and meditate on the heroes that have served their country and their better angles, I share with you some Motown jazz to make your day a little more relaxing. I am so grateful to my daddy and my father-in-law for their sacrifices during WWII, and to my brother during the Vietnam war. They were men who answered a higher calling from their county, for freedom and democracy.

Gentlemen, I will be forever be grateful for your service.

"Let their remembrance be as lasting, as the land they honored."

~Daniel Webster

For David, Lynn And Marisa (A Post About 9/11)

"If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, 

we learn life is short and there is no time for hate."

~Sandy Dahl

Wife of Flight 93 pilot, Jason Dahl

I never thought about it until yesterday. September 11th, is a mere 10 days, before the world turns from late summer to early autumn! For most folks that really doesn't matter, it's just the turn of a season, but for me, autumn has always felt like the season that saved me. It wraps it's arms around me with the scents of baked goods, and holidays, and of course, leaves that I chase through two states, and long to, one day, make it three states! But summer... I have never liked summer, with it's hot, and humid long days, that never seem to end and that sometimes feels like the most mean-spirited of all the seasons put together, if a season can be mean!?

Anyway, today is yet another anniversary of that dreadful day in 2001. The day that completely changed America. I don't want to talk about the state of today's current political climate, I will save that for a different post, but politics right now, makes me feel like there is an endless summer happening, only the deep restlessness, and cloudy thinking won't be turning to cooler thoughts anytime soon. How about I leave it there. 

You get what I mean.

Right now, without delving any further into the cruelty or the pain that makes this a permanent day of remembrance, I just want to sit quietly and think about those taken that day, and be thankful for the time, we on Earth, were given with them, and how each touched my life personally.

I will never forget you...

David & Lynn Angell

And this year, I am adding someone who I, haven't spoken about before, but who want to remember each year, from now on. I never got a chance to meet her on earth, but I have read about her, and if I am very lucky, perhaps one day, we will me in Heaven. And what an amazing gift and honor that would be!

Marisa DiNardo Schorpp

She seemed like an amazingly beautiful and caring soul! She was loved very much, and somehow, as I have read about her life over the years, like with the Angells, I feel like I have come to know her. I think I would have been very lucky to have had her for a friend. We are the same age, she and I seemed to have some things in common. Her life was so full and so happy, and it's easy to imagine her sharing the happiness with others! The tragedy of her death, reminds me of how precious life is, and how moments and the beauty of the turning leaves should never be taken for granted! She has touched my life... from Heaven!

Rest In Peace

David

Lynn

&

Marisa 

Mood: Quiet

~Me

Remembering The Love, Laughter And The Life Of The Angells

"I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like the most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person."

~Audry Hepburn

If you have been reading my blog for a year, or more, then you know that every September 11th, I honor and remember two extraordinary people, David and Lynn Angell, whose lives were cute short by the tragedy of 911. The Angell's were aboard American Airlines, Flight 11, when it slammed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. 

That day saw a lot of tragedy. The Angells have always stood out to me on a personal level because I had enjoyed Mr. Angell's many contributions to the world of television. He had a gift. He made people laugh through his writing and ability to make us laugh with projects such as Wings, and Cheers and Frasier. 

He made my life better... just by sharing his talent with the world. Both of those shows got me through some tough times. What a wonderful escape it is, to come home from a bad day, turn on the TV and enjoy a good solid laugh by way of a sitcom. Mr. Angell made my life a happier place, and I will remember him often, but especially on 9/11.

I didn't know much about Lynn Angell until after I began researching the life of David Angell, but what I found out about her was awesome! She, like her husband, had a wonderful ability to make those around her feel at ease. She loved children and was devoted to bringing some help to them, and those less fortunate through charitable hearts that continue to shine today by way of the Angell Foundation, which provides help and teaches self-sufficiency to those who need a hand up in life.

The Angells were extraordinary people who made the world a better place, and because of their love and kindness, their legacy continues to this day! I can't help but smile when I think of them, and I am grateful to have learned about their lives and the example they set for all of us! They remind me to be grateful, and pass on whatever good fortune that comes my way. They remind me to smile. They remind me to go forth each day, trying my best to be the change I want to see in the world.

I will always honor the Angells in my heart. 

You don't have to have ever met someone in life, to love them!

Today I will be honoring them by smiling as much as possible.

Please join me in that tribute.

Thank You, David And Lynn Angell, for making the world a better place!

Mood: Reflective

~Me :)