Sunday, September 10, 2006
Remembering 9/11/01
I’m one of those people who believes that everything happens for a reason. I’m still searching for the purpose of the 9/11 tragedy. The way I work through things is to write about them. So I found the 2,996 project where I signed up to write a tribute to one of the victims. One of thousands… Christopher James Pickford, 32, firefighter who lived in Queens and was in Engine Company 201 in Brooklyn's Battalion 40. He was one of four men from his company who entered Tower Two to search for survivors, 10 minutes before the tower collapsed. Only he wasn't a victim. Chris was a real hero.
At 6’5”, Pickford was described by a friend as "a gentle giant, with a wonderful sense of humor". He was a multi-talented guy who fought fires during the day and played rock music at night. He was the lead guitarist with his band, the Ten Degree Lean. He named an earlier band Riboflavin and the Vitamin D’s if that's any indication of Chris’ sense of humor.
I read so many great funny, adventurous stories involving Chris. It’s difficult to summarize it all here. But I feel like I know him. He was a musician, a songwriter, poet and an armchair philosopher. But to his friends Chris was a quick study of people and life. He had a devoted relationship with his family, and a tight knit group of friends whom he inspired and entertained. He had nicknames for his closest friends, like Fraidy Chicken and Spam. And they called him “Super Chris” or ‘Supe’, for the ringleader who knew how to bring out the best in everyone.
From all I read about Christopher, I doubt that he went down feeling sorry for himself. All of his friends seem to agree on one thing. He understood life and how to face its obstacles. Chris used to love to leave crazy messages on his friend’s answering machines. He would say something like, "let's go upstate for the weekend...you could get hit by a bus tomorrow...we need to rehearse today, you could get hit by a bus tomorrow.”
Thanks to Chris' family and friends for sharing their memories of him so that others could know him. The events of 9/11 help me remember that there is nothing in this world that is certain but change. And stories like Chris' give our lives meaning and purpose.
At 6’5”, Pickford was described by a friend as "a gentle giant, with a wonderful sense of humor". He was a multi-talented guy who fought fires during the day and played rock music at night. He was the lead guitarist with his band, the Ten Degree Lean. He named an earlier band Riboflavin and the Vitamin D’s if that's any indication of Chris’ sense of humor.
I read so many great funny, adventurous stories involving Chris. It’s difficult to summarize it all here. But I feel like I know him. He was a musician, a songwriter, poet and an armchair philosopher. But to his friends Chris was a quick study of people and life. He had a devoted relationship with his family, and a tight knit group of friends whom he inspired and entertained. He had nicknames for his closest friends, like Fraidy Chicken and Spam. And they called him “Super Chris” or ‘Supe’, for the ringleader who knew how to bring out the best in everyone.
From all I read about Christopher, I doubt that he went down feeling sorry for himself. All of his friends seem to agree on one thing. He understood life and how to face its obstacles. Chris used to love to leave crazy messages on his friend’s answering machines. He would say something like, "let's go upstate for the weekend...you could get hit by a bus tomorrow...we need to rehearse today, you could get hit by a bus tomorrow.”
Thanks to Chris' family and friends for sharing their memories of him so that others could know him. The events of 9/11 help me remember that there is nothing in this world that is certain but change. And stories like Chris' give our lives meaning and purpose.
// posted by silence4now @ 11:18 PM 
