WWLBD (What Would Linda Beazley Do)

Some really good people are hurting today. They are hurting because they have unwrapped birthday gifts in their hands. They have funny birthday cards that she would have loved. She would have howled. She was Linda B.,  a seemingly indomitable force of nature who could only be detoured by cancer. She died on September 12th and in the days that have followed none of those people have seen any reasons to celebrate. September 29th is her birthday.

My first remembrance of hearing about Linda B. came from the voice of Carolyn, a friend of mine.  Linda B. was her mentor, friend and hero. Carolyn spoke of her Linda B. like one would speak of any person who was about to be named a saint. I assumed her  love of a dear friend was causing her to exaggerate. Then I met Linda. There were no exaggerations.  And before I knew it, I was blessed to be able to call Linda a friend as well.  She was incredibile fun. She had an irresistible smile that only she could produce. She gave real hugs that informed the recipient of her excitement to see you. She was a radiant lady. Warmth,kindness and generosity exuded from every pore of her being. We shared a love of sports and she was a great conversationalist about all things Braves, Falcons, University of Georgia, NCAA Women's Basketball and Masters.  Linda B. was an enthusiastic and loyal sports fan. She was a teacher and confidante. She possessed all the traits of someone to be admired and she was admired by many.  She also possessed all the characteristics of someone to be loved and she was loved by an enormous amount of folks.

She was a Georgia native and quite simply she was Georgia. She adored Augusta, her birthplace, and she was eager to talk about it, show you around,  revisit landmarks and share her love of Augusta with you.  Masters Week was Linda B. in her prime.  Her town was on the center stage and she was the unofficial hostess for the event.  She could suggest restaurants, explain parking, navigate traffic, predict the winner, ask about your family and make home-made pear preserves while determining your best route to The Augusta National.  She loved her flowers and gardening and managed to excel at that as well.  She had a lovely inviting yard that surrounded her beautiful love-filled home.

Her knowledge of elections and all things related was immeasurable. She treasured her elections colleagues and friends. They were her elections family. She always had time to teach the rookies with patience and invested whatever time they needed to become confident and well-trained.  She held tight to her longtime elections friends . She always had her priorities in order. She was a great listener for colleagues,friends,family and anyone who needed her. She loved to talk. She loved to eat. She loved to laugh. She loved to cheer her teams and athletes and children and grandchildren and friends on to victories and successes. Her heart had a special place for her family. Her children, grandchildren, siblings, great grandson and relatives meant everything to her.

The Braves lost a critical game tonight. The Yankees lost too but one of their players had a remarkable game. Mark Teixeira was one of Linda B.'s favorite players and he had two home runs tonight including one grand slam. I know Linda B. caught that ball, sitting perched on a star sparkling in the night sky. I can hear her laughing and see her clapping. That grand slam was for your birthday Linda B..

We are beyond sad. We are angry. We hurt. We cry. We ache. We miss her and we will always miss her. But what would Linda B. do?

She was a person of faith. Her faith was very important to her. She was resolute. She taught us so much, could she be teaching us still? We each know that Linda B. would want us to carry on with a renewed sense of purpose,with giving spirits and loving hearts. She would want to be remembered for her life not her death. She would want us to get on with it. Oh and she would want us to have parties. She would want us to celebrate not only her life but life itself. And she would want us to know that we will always have her with us.

Take a second whenever you need direction and ask yourself: "What Would Linda  B. Do" and her insurmountable spirit will guide you.  So place a candle on a cupcake and celebrate Linda B.'s birthday and after you blow the candle out, her light will continue to shine. ( And yes,she would want you to enjoy the heck out of that cupcake.)

Happy Birthday Linda B..

Imagine

And so it arrives. The ten year anniversary of the September 11,2001 attack on the United States is today. The heartbreak and horror come rushing back to us. The 9/11 Commission Report states that a minimum of 2600 people died at the World Trade Center and another 125 perished at the Pentagon. Tragically 256 people lost their lives on the four planes involved in the terrorist attack. Different reports give you different numbers but the end result is consistently sickening regardless of the exact toll. The Port Authority Police lost 37 officers. The NYC Police Department lost 23 officers. The NYC Fire Department lost 343 firemen and paramedics. There were 115 nations whose citizens were killed in the attacks. Approximately 100 vehicles were lost by the NYC Fire Department. One thousand six hundred and nine people lost a spouse or partner in the attacks. Three thousand fifty one children lost a parent. Twenty percent of Americans knew someone injured or killed in the attacks. The statistics are overwhelming. But those are mere numbers. These were lives lost not numbers tallied.

This is my generation's Pearl Harbor. We did not want one nor did we want to surpass the death toll of Pearl Harbor and yet we did. We did not want to recognize the traditional question asking where were you when...the first tower fell...the second tower fell....the Pentagon was hit.....you heard about Flight 93...We did not want to have a Ground Zero. We did not want to become all too familiar with the phrase: first-responders.


The NYPD website honors the "23 police officers who were died on 9/11 and those who have perished since as a result of illnesses contracted from exposure at Ground Zero and Fresh Kills."  ( Fresh Kills is a landfill that was temporarily used to sort two million tons of rubble from Ground Zero.) The FDNY website refers to memorials honring "the 343 FDNY members killed on September 11,2001 as well as the 57 who have died in the past decade due to World Trade Center-related illnesses." One of the FDNY's fallen was their beloved chaplain,Father Mychal Judge who ran toward the carnage to help. He was giving last rites to a firefighter when he was killed. He became the first recorded victim of the attacks. He is Victim 0001. More statistics. More numbers. More nightmares.

New York,New York.  Washington,DC.  Shanksville,Pennsylvania.  We will always associate them with this date. There was such an enormous amount of sadness. There was such vast loss. There was such unspeakable pain.

There was also resilience. There was support. There was love. There was faith. There was patriotism. There was courage. There was resolve.

Fly your flags. Sing the national anthem with feeling. Wear FDNY caps and NYPD t-shirts and remember the lost. Remember them by how you live your lives. Share the message of Victim 0001 : LOVE & PEACE.
And remember the words of another fallen New Yorker, John Lennon:

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one.