To the families who are now remembering the TAM Airlines Flight 3054 (JJ 3054) tragedy–the Airbus A320 which crashed on landing during rain on unfinished pavement in São Paulo on July 17, 2007…
To the families–many of whom are my friends…
July can not come and go without our remembering. As each spring recalls the winter, as each night recalls the day, on July 17, we remember.
I hope that by this year, you have established some kind of family tradition that helps the family come together to remember.
It is a privilege to recall the goodness of their lives–whether it be visiting their memorial, lighting a candle, planting a tree, or continuing acts of kindness in their memory. No candle burns long enough nor shines bright enough; no tree stands tall enough nor casts enough shade; no act of kindness is quite benevolent enough. And yet, doing something each year to help us actively remember carries on the act of life. Doing so carries the torch of memory, weaving the thread of yesterday into today and tomorrow. A ritual that one time may be a crutch at a later date will give our hearts wings, a ritual that reminds us that each life stands like the stones of a monument, a foundation sustaining all of us who continue.
Let the loss not be in vain.
No tears can bring back a loved one, but I hope that time has brought healing and cooled the pain, leaving only the sweetness of memory.
My friends, celebrate the memory,
George Hatcher