September 11th
By the time some of you read this, it will be past September 11, and we will all move on again and go about the lives we are meant to lead -- good lives, happy for the most part and blessed beyond measure. But each year, even though I don't know anyone personally who suffered from the attack, I seem to mourn our shared loss on that dreadful day all over again.
I know everyone has a story about what they were doing when they found out, but mine is different because I feel like I took part in a haunting moment that had
I was listening to the Bob & Tom syndicated radio show that morning, and I will never forget it, as I am sure they won't, either. It was a "slow news day," or so the DJs said, as they rattled off one insignificant newsy story after another. Finally, one Dj made a statement that has probably haunted him every year since. He said, "What we need is a big news story -- another O.J. Simpson!"
It wasn't 10 minutes later that we began receiving word of the horror taking place in New York City, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C.
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All three of my children were in school, and all three were late that day as we all sat watching -- I in utter horror, and they in confusion and wondering why mama was crying. Thinking back to that moment as we stared at the TV screen in unabashed horror, those mental images now burned into our personalities in what is known in the science community as "flashbulb memories." In just the same way many of us hold a mental picture of the space shuttle Challenger exploding, so do we remember the smoke and the frenzy of 9/11 like the flash of a picture in our minds.
I wish I could forget, but in some ways, I don't think we are supposed to.
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My daughter, the high school junior, came home from Centennial today and mentioned that her history book already had Sept. 11th in it. What?? Already? I couldn't believe it. Wasn't it just -- wait. Wow... it still feels fresh, but it was 7 years ago. She had been in the 4th grade when it happened.
Turns out that Michael Phelps is on the cover of that book, too.
I am getting old.
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Thank you police, firefighters, EMTs, and everyone who went INTO harm's way when most people were running out. We, indeed, will never forget.
Comments
Seven years later, it is still hard to believe that what we watched unfold that day was not a movie, made up from some twisted mind in Hollywood, but reality. I remember it well, it was Pete's 31st birthday. He went to work at about 6am and called me to wake me up to get the kids ready for school. He told me to turn on the news because a plane just hit the WTC. I was like "What the heck??" and we watched together as the second plane hit. We were both in shock. My mom was in Las Vegas at the time with family members from Holland, taking them to the airport. Needless to say, they were stuck here for another two weeks. All I could do all day was cry. I called my grandma because I needed to hear her tell me that the Lord would take care of everything, because I really couldn't figure out why the Lord would let this happen in the first place. We didn't even feel right celebrating Pete's birthday and still don't.
What Is A Veteran? A "Veteran" -- whether active duty, discharged, retired, or reserve -- is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to, and including his life." That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country today, who no longer understand that fact.
Special shout-out to Troy Thomas, my Army Green Beret, currently stationed in Germany. Thank you, Troy.
And in remembrance of SFC Mitch Lane, the one I lost in Afghanistan. Wow, it still stings.
Thanks, Dana, for including the definition of a Veteran. I'm continually amazed at the number of people who don't actually understand what the individual and their family have been willing to sacrifice for our freedom! God Bless America and may our flag always wave! Remember, freedom isn't free!
JanB.
My husband and I were just discussing this a couple of nights ago. I vividly recall the moment as well. We were in the process of getting our baby ready for her first doctor's visit. She was a mere 13 days old. We received a phone call from my mother-in-law asking if we were watching the news. Of course we weren't, we had a new baby we were doting on.
I will never forget turning on the television set and being frozen in disbelief at what we were witnessing. It seemed too horrific to be true. My initial thought was "What have I done bringing a new baby into the world?" I felt frightened for myself, my country, and overwhelmingly for my children.
It was a profound moment in our history that is still troubling to attempt to comprehend.