Have We Forgotten to NEVER FORGET?

Kara and I (Teri) are having an amazing time at Baltimore on the Prairie—teaching, catching up with old friends, and meeting new ones. We will fill you in on our event next week. 

This week, as we near the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, I would like to share with you a current exhibit at the National Quilt Museum—NEVER FORGET: Quilts from the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. My husband and I stopped to visit the museum on our road trip to Nebraska, and we found this particular exhibit both beautiful and gut-wrenching. I confess that it kept me awake much of that night as I reflected on the meaningful quilts we saw, as well as all what they represented.

So many people worked together to honor those who died, who responded, who served. Not only do the quilts show that we can work together to create stunningly meaningful works of art, but that we can also work together in times of crisis. The symbolism in these quilts sings of a spirit of support and caring. We vowed to never forget. 

Here are a few highlights from our visit. Take the time to read the descriptions; you might be amazed at the details you miss when you first look at the quilts. 

The National Tribute Quilt spanned an entire wall, telling the incredible story of that day, with over 3500 squares contributed from people from all 50 states and 5 countries.

It was not possible to get a full face-on shot of this quilt in its entirety, but hopefully you can appreciate the magnitude of the work seeing it in sections.

  

The detail of the symbolism in this last piece was incredibly moving to me. More beautiful than the work itself is the thought that was put into creating it and the statement that it makes about that day. 

Sometimes, when I listen to the news today, I wonder what happened to all of the "working together" that we were able to do twenty years ago following that awful day. We honored more than we criticized. Have we forgotten? 

For more information about the exhibit, click here.