A solemn and sincere Nutter-Butter memorial

I has been said by many that we've all been touched personally by the attacks on September 11th. Until today, I had been mercifully insulated from personal tragedy. Those three thousand victims were close to my heart in spirit, but also a somewhat foggy image in my mind.

Today is different. Jeff at C for Cooking shared a deeply personal memoir regarding his loss on that day. His brief story really hit me, more so than most. I can no longer say I don't know anyone who lost a loved one in the attacks.

I arrived at my local Red Cross blood bank too late that day in 2001 to actually donate blood. The lines were already hundreds of feet long - running out into the street and down the block. As the tired and desperate Red Cross workers herded us back to our cars and home, I was forced to accept that I wasn't able to do what I could. None of us knew that there were no survivors to receive our donation.

So today I resolved to do what I could not 5 years ago. I haven't had much time for cooking and blogging lately, but I made the time to go and give a pint for a stranger. Just as Jeff has mourned and found love again, I vowed to mourn those who were tragically lost and to do my part to save a life so that others may partake of the precious gift given to me by God.

Thus I ate my post-donation Nutter Butters and apple juice in silence, thinking about what this pint means to someone I've never met. I hope that you all are moved to do the same.

To find a blood drive, you can got to www.givelife.org or call 1-800-Give-Life.