[TruthTalk] 9/11 on Main Street USA

[ShieldsFamily]

Title: 9/11 overview

For what it’s worth; I spent the entire day from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm hawking quilt raffle tickets at a big quilt extravaganza on Main Street in the small town nearby where I grew up.  It was, in fact, Missouri’s first capitol, and an early settlement area on the Missouri River with a lot of history, including Lewis & Clark.  Civil War re-enactors were camped all along the riverfront, shooting their black powder rifles, and walking around in their finery.  I even had a friendly discussion with Abe Lincoln.   I had a quilt in the 9-11 memorial quilt exhibit.  (As seen on our family website.)  It was the most looked at quilt in the entire area (over a mile long; quilts hanging from all the old historical brick buildings and in exhibits everywhere.) There was always a bunch of folks gathered around it. Several people inquired if they could purchase my quilt (no way!).  One man came up to me and said, “I have tears in my eyes—your quilt brings it all back to me.”  He wanted to buy it, too.  I was so glad it had just the effect I wanted of making people relive those moments of 9-11.  It changes you.  It makes you care about defending freedom.   I also had a quilt in the Lewis & Clark exhibit.  And scads of my quilts decorated our quilt guild’s booth.  We had a patriotic theme, with red white and blue bunting.  Lots of ladies came out and sat over the course of the day (I was there all day as chairperson of our booth), and we sold lots of chances on our lovely raffle quilt, to benefit our guild’s efforts at educating and promoting the art of quilting.  Our booth, in fact, won first place in the judging between all the guild booths! J (So, we are a bit competitive for quilters!)   After we tore down and packed up, my husband and I enjoyed a nice dinner at the Lewis & Clark restaurant (a long time favorite) on Main St.  Then we walked a block down to Riverfront Park to partake of a bluegrass music concert.  Tourists rode by in white horse drawn carriages. Babies played in the grass. It was so wonderful.  Plaintive singing to plucking, tinny banjoes, mandolins, guitars, and base instruments filled the cool evening air.  The heart of America lived on Main Street today.  How do you spell Happiness? Thank you, Lord, for simple goodness and joy.   Izzy