September 11th was once a joyous day for me.  On that day, I got the greatest, most amazing gift ever – my little boy, who turns 12 years old tomorrow.  He’s a beautiful, sweet, kind, intelligent child with just enough sarcastic wit to make him dangerous, and on his fourth birthday, life changed.

I did a tribute to him here last year to wish him a happy birthday and remind him that even though something horrible happened that day in 2001, September 11th will always be a day of absolute pure joy for me, because that is the day my Redhead entered this world, and he is still my pride and joy – the most beautiful little boy on this earth, bar none!

I didn’t want to sound depressed or down this year.  The terrorists have taken so much from us already, that it’s time to celebrate life, not memorialize bastardly (yes, I mean “bastardly”) acts of murder perpetuated by a rabid band of camel humping scum.

And that’s why I joined Project 2,996.

The purpose of this project is to remember and celebrate the lives of those who perished that day.  They were regular people, going about their regular lives. They had families and friends.  They had people who loved them.  They had lives that were ripped from them on that day, and we’re here today to celebrate them.

The tribute page for Bernard Mascarenhas has the text of the eulogy given by his son at his funeral on October 11, 2001 at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Toronto, Canada.  I won’t reprint the words here.  You can go read them yourselves.  But having read the statements, I have come to realize that the world lost a dedicated father, a committed husband, sweet, funny friend and co-worker and a caring human being who gave back to his community.



Here are a few quotes:


Deeply committed to education,Mr. Mascarenhas, 54, used to make anonymous donations to a number ofdifferent charities, in particular to scholarship funds. Among hiscauses, he would send anonymous scholarship donations to his nativePakistan, to assist Roman Catholics, a religious minority in thatcountry.

…a true friend, with an incredible brain . . . a role model

…enjoy helping others become confident and grow tall…

...I will miss him every second of my life


…He taught me the meaning of humility, taught me tonever rub my successes in the faces of others. He lived his life bythat credo, to the point that many of his closest friends had no ideajust how successful he was in his professional life.

Bernard Mascarenhas left behind a legacy – a legacy of excellence, humility, achievement, dedication and love for his friends and family.

On September 11, 2009, remember how he lived – not how he died.

On September 11, 2009, remember life. Celebrate it. Love it. Recall why it’s special, real, profound, funny, scary, lovely, precious, fleeting, difficult, challenging, short, obnoxious, silly, joyous, sweet, bitter, jarring, surprising, comfy, warm, teary and resplendent.

We owe them that much,

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