School and War
School started this Tuesday. Both our kids are officially in school. At the Kindergarten orientation, some parents were crying. I was smiling. It's a good feeling to know that you are doing a good job as a parent and getting your kids to school is one milestone of many that have happened and will come. Everyone is excited and motivated to do well. September has always, for me, been a "new beginning" and this year is no exception. Some people make New Years Resolutions, I make September Resolutions. Mine have to do with exercising more, accomplishing tasks at work, and doing more with my photography. I'm filling up my weekend shooting schedule with family and child portraits and that makes me feel good. My photography resolutions have to do with broadening my shooting and experimenting more. Aside from portraits, I plan on making fall nature images of our picturesque town and shooting the action of our high school's sports teams.
Next week also marks the six year anniversary of 9/11. For a story our newspaper did on the anniversary, I went to the Boston Public Garden to shoot our September 11th Memorial. To be honest, I had not known of its existence even though it has been dedicated since July 2004. There is a dearth of information on the web about it (at least that I could find), so I thought I would post about it here. The memorial is classically done in granite and displays the names of those from Massachusetts who perished in the horrific terrorist attack. It is located at the Arlington Street entrance to the garden, across from the Taj Hotel and the beginning of Newbury Street. I took the opportunity to explain to my girls about what happened and why the memorial was there. My older daughter and I talk often about terrorism and 9/11 and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I try to couch my explanations in terms that a 9 year old can understand without getting overwhelmed. It's the issue of our time, so I see no reason to keep it hidden like I did when my kids were too young to understand. I know of one individual from our town of Stow, Massachusetts who is serving in Iraq, Marine PFC Shane Makary. I had the honor of taking his pictures at our last Memorial Day Parade when he was home before signing up for another tour. I pray for him and all our troops and thank them all for keeping us safe and free.
