| 3 women, 3 paths in grief
CONCORD – Grief charts a
different path for everyone.
The death of her husband on Sept. 11, 2001, set one New Hampshire widow on a
truth-seeking mission in defiance of the government, while another embarked
on a new calling – speaking about her story of healing and forgiveness.
Meanwhile, the mother of a third 9/11 victim strives to keep the bad
memories at bay while preserving the good.
Ten New Hampshire residents, one of whom had recently moved to the state,
were aboard the two planes that crashed into the towers of the World Trade
Center five years ago today.
Tom McGuinness, 42, of
Portsmouth, was the co-pilot of American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane
to hit the World Trade Center. The McGuinness family shared a strong
Christian faith, which Cheryl McGuinness credits with helping her and her
two children rebuild their lives.
CHERYL
McGUINNESS:
Five years to the day after her pilot husband died aboard his
airliner, Cheryl McGuinness and her two children will take to
the air with her son Tom at the controls.
Tom, 19, is studying aviation at Daniel Webster College in
Nashua. Since earning his pilot’s license three years ago, he
has taken his mother and sister out for a symbolic flight
every Sept. 11 in remembrance of his father.
“I’ve never let the fear of flying grip my heart,” said Cheryl
McGuinness, 45. “And I really am thankful that Tommy is
pursuing a dream that started with his dad.”
McGuinness, of Portsmouth, says the horror that began Sept. 11
has subsided.
“We have had a lot of changes in our life, good changes,” she
said.
In June, her daughter, Jennifer, 21, a cosmetologist, got
married; McGuinness walked her down the aisle.
She wrote a book, “Beauty Beyond the Ashes,” about her
struggle to rebuild her life after her husband’s death, and
has a full schedule of speaking engagements booked through a
business of the same name. Two years ago, she campaigned hard
for President Bush’s re-election.
“My purpose in speaking publicly, my purpose in writing a
book, my purpose in doing the things that I do . . . are to
show people that God can heal them from their brokenness and
difficult circumstances,” she said.
“I talk about trusting in God, I give messages of hope and
inspiration. There are many things that people are hurting
over, not just September eleventh.”
McGuinness said she accepts that there are things about the
attacks that may never be known.
“If you allow the things that we don’t have answers to – to
hold us, then we’re in chains and you’re not free to build a
new life.” |
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