At this special moment in time our prayers are with our President, our government leaders and our troops fighting on foreign soil to insure that freedom lives. Of course, our thoughts and prayers will always be for those innocent ones lost in New York City, Washington and Pennsylvania and their families and friends. Our tears flow so easily now.

September 11, 2001 has sadly become a day, like only a few others in our history, which we shall never forget.

Just as on December 7, 1941, our parents always remembered where they were and what they were doing when they heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor.

For my age group, we remember the exact moment when we heard that President Kennedy was assassinated. I was in high school and vividly remember returning to the campus after lunch, and upon entering the building, seeing my history teacher at the end of the hall with a group of students gathered around him. He was holding a small transistor radio up to his ear. For some reason, I immediately knew something was wrong. In my next class, my biology teacher told us what had happened, with tears in his eyes and his voice breaking. This was the first time anything so earth-shattering and history-making had happened in my lifetime.

Modern technology has changed everything now. The way I found out about the events at the World Trade Center was that I received an email message from my sister telling me to go to CNN's website. When I was unable to open it, I then went to a Dallas TV station's website to discover the horrible news. It was an hour later that we here at work remembered we had a television in the conference room, which we watched off and on for the rest of the day.

Hawkwind has received several submissions from our writers about this tragedy. A special presentation of these works, Words on the Wind, is now posted on our site.

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Our President has urged us all to return to our normal lives and routines in an effort to show terrorists world wide that we are a nation of strong and proud people who cannot be swayed by evil acts. We are trying to comply with the President's wishes, even though our hearts are still heavy.

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Autumn, my favorite season of the year, is officially here! I envy people who live in an area of the country "with seasons", where they can actually see leaves turn colors.

Last year (at the end of October), Mike and I went on a road trip from San Antonio to the Ozark Mountains in northwest Arkansas.We saw some of the most beautiful scenery that I have ever seen in my life. The leaves were some of the most beautiful colors - it was awesome and breathtaking! We went at just the right time too, because if we had waited one more week, we would have missed these wonderful views. The leaves were just beginning to fall off of the trees when we were there.

We went on a scenic train ride, boarding at a quaint town called Calico Rock. The train followed the White River and was really a lot of fun. If you go on a trip in that area, I highly recommend staying at one of Crawford's Cabins in a small town called Jasper. One word of warning though - you will not be able to watch any TV (except for videos). Mike could only take that for two days! But I think the atmosphere of a log cabin is well worth it!

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There's a new puppy in our house. Cobey, a little min pin, joined our "family" on September 9 and those of you who have ever had a puppy in your house know what we have been going through. Newspapers spread all over the floor in every room…dog toys scattered all over the house…the puppy and our three-year-old beagle Winnie chasing each other round and round in the living room while barking at each other…(have you ever heard the "beagle" bark?)…the hurrying to get him outside before there's an "accident." But then there's the pulling of the heartstrings when he gets in your lap and goes to sleep. Aren't they cute when they are asleep? Then you know all the extra trouble is worth it.

Personal note to my husband Mike, who is co-editor and webmaster of Hawkwind. Happy Anniversary! It's been a wonderful four years! My life changed 100% for the better when I married you!

All for this time. Everyone stay safe and please pray for peace.

Until next time,

Barbara

July 2001

A special welcome to all who have contributed poems and stories to Hawkwind Literary Magazine. We encourage you all to send more of your writings and to feel free to add to your "collections" throughout the year. If you are a writer who hasn't contributed any of your work to our site, please do so. We are especially hopeful that young writers will use our site. Our magazine would love to give you an opportunity to publish your writings.

This is my first column in Hawkwind Literary Magazine. It will be published periodically and I hope it will become a column you will enjoy.

I consider myself to be a reader, not a writer. As such, I have certainly enjoyed all of the poems and stories in Hawkwind.

I first became interested in reading books when I was a child. One of my childhood thrills was going from our home in the country to the Carnegie Public Library in downtown Tyler, Texas. My sister and I could check out six books at a time. We would have all 12 books read in four days!

I loved most of the books that were "required reading" in high school and college. Particularly, William Faulkner's Sartoris, Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms and The Old Man and the Sea, Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart, and The Pit and the Pendulum, Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Alfred Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King, Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, and Henry David Thoreau's Walden. I also enjoyed poems by Byron, Keats, Walt Whitman, and William Wordsworth.

As an adult, I would much rather read a book than watch television. Sometimes I am guilty of reading 2 or 3 books at the same time. I read biographies, suspense, murder mysteries, Texas history and books about Native Americans. I am currently reading Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, Legacy of Silence by Belva Plain, Just As I Am by Billy Graham, and Davita's Harp by Chaim Potok.

I love books. In fact, I don't go to the public library any more - I buy every book I read. When I find an author I really like, I have to read every book by that writer. Needless to say, there are at least two bookcases in every room in our house.

As you can see, I consider my books to be my friends!

I hope everyone is having a great summer and keeping cool. Personally, I am looking forward to the Fall - my favorite season.

Until next time,

Barbara

Copyright 2001