9-11 Memorial Archives - There Goes Connie

What to Do “When Hate is Strong”

12/21/2018 By: CCPearsoncomment

You know the Christmas carol.

I heard the bells on Christmas day. Their old familiar carols play. And wild and sweet the words repeat of peace on earth, good will to men.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the 3rd verse of that carol recently.

And in despair I bowed my head: “There is no peace on earth,” I said,“For hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Hate is a word I very deliberately try to keep out of my vocabulary. Yes, I embrace hatred for sin and all of the things that the Bible tells us God hates, but in my heart, I choose not to hate anyone. I don’t even allow myself to say I hate certain foods, certain football teams or certain annoying medical procedures such as root canals. I definitely chastise any of the grandchildren who might mention hating something or someone. I think the word itself is toxic. It has the capacity to harm us deep down inside.

Yet, hate is everywhere in our world right now, and the results are devastating. As I mentioned in several posts recently, Steve and I were in New York at the beginning of December. This year Hanukkah fell on December 2-10, so we were in the city for the first two nights. Right outside our hotel “The World’s Largest Menorah” was erected, and each night one of the lights was ceremoniously lit. I suspect that in years past there have been great throngs of Jewish people who gathered for the occasion. Yet, this year, the crowd seemed small. No doubt there was some fear and apprehension about gathering in such a place and then becoming a target for anti-semitic extremists, such as the deranged man who entered a synogogue in Philadelphia and gunned down 11 innocent people while they were having a prayer service in late October. News reports described it as a “terrible and unspeakable act of hate.”

World’s Largest Menorah outside The Plaza Hotel in NYC

At the 9-11 Memorial, we saw the place where one of the most horrendous attacks, fueled by hatred for America, took place. Thousands of lives were snuffed out and thousands more have suffered the consequences.

9-11 reflecting pool with the names of victims inscribed

On the news night after night, we see our own governmental leaders spewing hate and venom toward each other and watch the sectarian violence occurring constantly in countries around the world.

My friends, this is NOT what God wants for His people.

In John 13:35, Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you LOVE one another.“

What about it? What would it be like if this Christmas season we purposely put on love? How would it feel to choose to love that relative or neighbor or acquaintance or even a fellow church member with whom we disagree? How would it look to love store owners, restaurant servers or other shoppers waiting in line with us? Is it possible that we would be recognized as disciples of Christ if we “wore” love in these days?

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth he sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, good will to men.” . . . . AND LOVE.

Christmas Experiences in New York City

12/10/2018 By: CCPearson4 Comments

It has been on my Bucket List for several years to “do New York City at Christmastime.” This was not a foodie trip, although we found some great food. This was not a shopping trip — but time for browsing holiday markets and window shopping did happen. This trip was a collection of experiences.

We flew in on a Friday and flew back home the following Tuesday. We lucked out on great weather. It was cold but not freezing, and it rained only on one day. During our 3 1/2 days in the Big Apple, we managed to fit in these activities:

We strolled through Times Square and Rockefeller Center, including the new F.A.O. Schwartz Toy Store, the big tree, and the astounding music/light display at Sak’s 5th Avenue.
We took in a Broadway play. For this visit, we saw “My Fair Lady,” one of my all-time favorites. I know every song and most of the dialogue. For this one, we took the subway to Lincoln Center and saw it in the Vivian Beaumont Theater. It was done superbly — every note, every set change, all the costumes fabulous.
We visited the new World Trade Center and the 9-11 Memorial. Sobering. Such a testament to the resilience of the citizens of NY to rise from those ashes.
We attended a service at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. (More about that in next Friday’s post).
We browsed the holiday markets at Grand Central Station and at Columbus Circle.
We gazed at the elaborate window displays along 5th Avenue.
We had Afternoon Tea at The Plaza — so delicious and elegant. This was my Christmas gift from Steve. I LOVED it!
We saw the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall featuring the Rockettes. We had seen the Rockettes in Nashville in years past, but I’m so glad we saw them in their home setting. The lighting, staging and special effects were SO MUCH BETTER in NYC.
We survived several taxi rides with Middle Eastern taxi drivers. 🙂 Actually, they were very friendly and did a good job of navigating the traffic.
We figured out which way was Downtown and which was Uptown — very important when using the subway system.
We tried real Manhattan Clam Chowder — and liked it a lot.
We averaged over 10,000 steps a day.
We were there for the first two nights of Hanukkah and saw the World’s Largest Menorah.
We stayed at the Marriott Marquis in the heart of Times Square for 2 nights and then enjoyed our biggest splurge by staying at The Plaza for the last 2 nights. Trust me. The Plaza deserves a blog post all its own. It was everything I had hoped and more.

Now, for a few photos that might tempt you to start planning your Christmas visit to NYC.

Radio City Music Hall, home of the Rockettes

Iconic keyboard in FAO Schwartz looking out onto the Rockefeller Center tree

Palm Court inside The Plaza, site of Afternoon Tea

Christmas tree in the lobby of The Plaza

Insights to Share From a Trip That Never Got Off the Ground :(

01/08/2018 By: CCPearsoncomment

We got up at 3:30 a.m. in order to arrive at the Huntsville airport by 5:00 a.m. Only a long-awaited holiday trip could entice me to do such a thing with a smile. This was a Bucket List item for me, to which Steve agreed unbegrudgingly. Bless him. We were going to New York City at Christmastime. We had tickets to a Broadway musical, the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir was presenting their Christmas Celebration that weekend, holiday markets scattered throughout the city were on our itinerary, along with seeing the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center, the store windows on 5th Avenue and the 9-11 Memorial. Favorite New York delicatessens, cafes and diners were mapped out, and I was even hoping to get a glimpse of the World’s Largest Menorah while we were in Brooklyn. I had subway and street maps marked and ready. We had reservations at a hotel in Midtown only a couple of blocks from Times Square. We both packed extra-warm gloves, socks, hoods, comfortable shoes and plenty of layers. We were ready. In earlier years, we explored NYC in late May of 2000 for my 50th birthday, and we stood on the second row among the throngs to watch Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2008, enjoyed Thanksgiving Dinner at Tavern on the Green in Central Park and shopped for the grandchildren at F.A.O. Schwartz. This time our plans were looser. We just wanted to take it all in.

The trip began to run off the rails when our Huntsville flight was canceled. I wasn’t too worried. If the agent could find us two seats, we’d drive to Birmingham or Nashville to catch another one. We got an hour toward Nashville when the 2nd flight was canceled, and we were booked on yet another one that would leave another hour later. About the time we arrived at the Nashville airport, we got a notice that the 3rd flight was delayed by about a half hour. I still wasn’t too worried. Beginning to fret a little, but not too worried. We parked, caught the shuttle from the lot to the terminal and strolled in with our bags. Then came the words, “I’m sorry, but I’ve just been notified that Flight #____ has been canceled.” Now, I was worried.

The agent tried and tried to find another way for us to get to New York City, but we could tell she was very doubtful. Do you remember hearing on the news about American Airlines mistakenly giving too many of their pilots vacation days during the busiest flying period of the year? Well, the “official” reason we received was “mechanical issues,” but I am 99.9% convinced that we were victims of the pilot shortage on that particular day. Really, what are the chances that THREE flights going to the same place would be canceled WITHOUT any kind of weather situation?

Then, you have to factor in the sense we had that God was trying to protect us from something. It just didn’t feel right to keep on and on pushing to make this trip happen when the deck appeared to be stacked against it. We left the airport, went out for a nice consolation lunch at Maggiano’s and drove back home. Steve, although he hated to see me so disappointed, was probably a little bit relieved. He wasn’t looking forward to being cold for 5 days. I, however, was lower than a snake’s belly.

“It was one of those times you feel a sense of loss, even though you didn’t have something in the first place. I guess that’s what disappointment is — a sense of loss for something you never had.” Deb Caletti in The Nature of Jade.

There were a few good things that happened and a couple of suggestions I’d like to share that might help you if a similar scenario happens for a trip you plan in the future.

The AMERICAN AIRLINES representatives were very quick in refunding all of the money on airfare and checked bags. I’m sure Delta, Southwest and Frontier would also have reacted similarly, but, in this case, I will have to give props to American. Let me add that I just needed to be “heard” by someone about my disappointment. I wrote a polite but pointed letter to their Complaint Department and got an equally polite, non-automated, response. It helped to know they were sorry.
The agent for EXPEDIA was a very able advocate on my behalf to get all of the hotel money refunded, as well as the trip insurance money I had paid. I fully expected to have to forfeit the first night’s hotel charge, but Expedia argued on my behalf for a full refund. Whew! 2 thumbs up, Expedia.
I was sure I’d just have to absorb the money I’d spent on two Broadway show tickets, but I didn’t. TICKETMASTER has a link on their website where you can go and list your tickets if you find you are not going to be able to make the performance. You can set your own price for your tickets, not just the amount you paid for them. I learned that often, especially during the holidays, ticket prices will go up as showtimes grow closer. So, some ticketholders have actually gotten MORE for their tickets than they paid for them. In my mind, this was no time to be greedy. I listed ours low enough to simply recoup my money, and a couple of hours before the show, I got a notice saying my tickets had been purchased. Woohoo!!! Thank you, Ticketmaster!

In my letter to American Airlines, I mentioned several items that the trip cancellation had cost me. No, I didn’t expect a refund on any of them, I just needed to type it all out.

PARKING AT AIRPORTS — We first parked in the Huntsville Airport lot. Because a lot of rain was predicted, we opted for a covered space — $10 per day. Then, we parked in the Nashville Airport lot, where we took a shuttle to the check-in counter. That would have been $18 per day. We ended up paying $4 in Huntsville and $12 in Nashville, even though our time in both airports was short. I just mention this to be sure you factor in this expense when you’re figuring your vacation/trip budget.

SUPER-ECONOMY AIRFARES HAVE HIDDEN COSTS. Beware. There is a new category of airfares that SEEM really good until you realize that you can’t carry on more than a normal backpack size without incurring baggage fees. Steve and I like to travel with only carry-ons whenever possible. But, with these fares, we were going to have to check even our carry-ons. Bummer. When you add $50 just by stepping up to the counter, you have to question what seems like a bait-and-switch deal.

PACK SNACKS, both for the airport as well as for the actual flight. First of all, airport food is notoriously expensive. Second of all, even if you get a small cup of Coke and a pack of pretzels on your flight, you are still likely to have to wait more than an hour for it to reach you. You’ll need to buy bottled waters or liquids after you go through security, but for other snacks, just have them in your allowed space to go with you on the plane. As hunger pangs hit, you’ll thank me for this reminder.

You will NOT be reimbursed for the hours you spend researching and planning nor for the books and maps you might buy in the process. I’m a planner. I’m sure that comes as a shock to you. 🙂 Nevertheless, before I go on a trip, I enjoy learning about what I’m going to see and do, how I will reach the attractions, where to eat, how much the costs will be, which shops are going to be the most unique, etc. etc. When a trip is canceled, those hours you spend on such things will NOT be added back to your life. They’re just gone, or in the best case scenario, they are delayed for a future trip.

New York City tickets, books and maps

You are also never going to be reimbursed for clothing you buy specifically for cold temperatures in New York City that are used very little in North Alabama. But, again, if I am able to go next year, I’ll be ready. Right?

Never fear. I am undeterred in my desire to travel and explore the world. We have another flight booked in a few weeks, this time in the opposite direction. I trust that Expedia will come through for me once again, and I plan to take my own advice regarding baggage, parking and snacks. Maybe some of these tips will help in your own planning.

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