I received the above e-mail message last Monday, along with the English translation:
Dear friends,
For the last several months I have received a lot of your e-mails. I highly appreciate your interest in my sculpture in Bayonne, New Jersey and would like to thank you for your sincere words of gratitude to me and the people of Russia. I have been deeply touched by your feelings. They give me confidence in the victory of Good over Evil.
Zurab Tsereteli
The sculpture in question is To the Struggle Against World Terrorism, shown in the picture above. It was a gift from Tsereteli and Russian people in memory of 9/11 and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
I did a bit of research about the monument last month. (See Why Didn’t We Know About This Before? at Transforming Stress and One Nice Change here at Cheerful Monk.) I had read some posts asking why we hadn’t been informed about the work, and the question intrigued me… so I started poking around. The writers had implied that either our media was negligent or else prejudiced because the gift came from the Russians. That didn’t seem to be the case. Some articles had been written about it, even though it hadn’t gotten a lot of national attention. A woman I talked to at the agency in Bayonne responsible for the site thought they had received their fair share of attention given all of the 9/11 monuments in the area.
But there was another aspect of the situation that bothered me. Why the focus on what the media did or didn’t do? If the issue was we were given a gift and it was largely ignored, why didn’t we just say thank you when we did hear about it? So I did. If anyone else would like to do the same, Tsereteli’s e-mail address is info@tsereteli.ru
One of the principles I try to live by is
When we spend our energy and attention blaming other people, we’re throwing away our personal power.
Our energy and attention are limited, so let’s use them wisely… by trying to make a positive contribution, no matter how small, to the causes we believe in. A simple thank you is sometimes a good place to start.
Thank YOU, Jean!
(Note: I thank my guides every single day. I thank the Universe most particularly when BAD things happen….I am always grateful to learn, no matter what…)
Jodys last blog post..The Writer’s Journey
Yes, thank you Jean! I did see something on the news about this and wondered why it was so briefly covered. I will most definitely write a thank you email. It’s a beautiful gesture and were it not for the darn politics mucking it up, every American should know about it and be grateful.
suzens last blog post..Calling All GENEROUS Spirits
I have sent an email to him thanking him for what he and the people of Russia have tried to do. Thank you for staying with this subject and taking it to its logical conclusion.
rummusers last blog post..Playboy;Virgin;Civil Servant; Erotica and the Adventurous British.
Ditto to all of the above.
We tend to take for granted the good things people do for us & forget to say THANK YOU!
Thank you! It’s so easy to say. I have no idea why it isn’t said more often. I continue to send hand written thank you cards.
We have had so much for so long in our country we often take things for granted. With our economy are think we will learn to make things and occasions “special” again!
Tess The Bold Lifes last blog post..Magic Mondays with Castle Baths
A Thank you, like a smile is no good until you give it away!
Thank you Jean.
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Thank you all! 🙂
I really enjoyed your post, thanks.
We do something with our energy everyday so we may as well choose something positive to do with it.
Laurie | Express Yourself to Successs last blog post..Body Language Communicates
What an uplifting post. It made me pause and think for a moment of the many thank yous I can give that are far overdue. The piece on personal energy couldn’t be more true. We get ourselves so caught up in a knot over others that we end up exasperated.
Thank YOU for contributing so much life, light and positive energy through your writing. I’ve cut back on the blogs that I follow, but yours continues to be an enjoyable constant for me.
B. Wildes last blog post..Grandpa Dwayne’s Top 10 Sayings
sorry haven’t been contributing…just busy…quite well but it’s wintertime here and it’s been a bit cold!
exams are on the horizon as well but most of the revision is going well 🙂
Laurie,
I agree. And knowing our values helps us choose wisely.
B. Wilde,
Thanks for the lift! 🙂
Cathy,
Thank you for coming by. Good luck!
Cathy in NZ, I missed you. Where did you get that hat? It’s hard to imagine winter in NZ when we are going into summer. In keeping with this blog thank you for your input.
We tend to take for granted the good things people do for us & forget to say THANK YOU!