Ten Years

And so it is that ten years ago today, the world changed.  And not for the better.  While the death and injuries and defeat were obvious, what these terrorists did for us that was even worse was they destroyed the trust of a nation.  And they ruined the entire innocence of not only a country, but the entire globe.  Never again will the our thought process not involve terrorists.  And just a little bit of fear.  And just a little bit of anger.  And yet, in the midst of the rubble, good still prevails.  And there is the pride of a great nation.  And what an amazing memorial at Ground Zero.

I remember that day like it was yesterday.

I was 20 years old.  Young and invincible.  And this was a dose of reality that I don't think I even grasped at the time.

I woke up late for a 8 am class with my beloved Dr. Zuroff.  My best friend Holly called with all of the vigor that she always had that early in the morning.  I on the other hand, was grouchy and irritated.  And when she told me that a plane had hit the World Trade Center, I thought she was trying to get me to wake up and participate in any conversation.  And so we went to class and nobody knew a lot of details, but we all knew it was bad.  And class went on because that is the kind of professor I had.  Business as usual.  And then it was onto our next class and between the two, we somehow found out that it was indeed bad and it was continuing.  And I had a sister in London getting ready to fly home after visiting extended family with my Grandma.  And I didn't know if she was flying, waiting to fly or what because of the time change. 

After classes we headed back to a friend's apartment and sat and watched the coverage.  And it was scary.  And I was young.  And I honestly didn't know what this meant for me.  But atleast I was in Montana, which was a long long way from New York City.  I hoped it was far enough.

And so life went on and before I knew it it was Veteran's Day.  And I was doing an observation at a local elementary school.  And they had organized a Veteran's Day celebration with a focus on the 9-11 attacks.  And the entire student body of little kids...innocent kids....acknowledged this event and sang songs to remember and recognize and event that they surely shouldn't have to worry about. 

I will never forget when they turned on Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" and the tiny and sweet voices of the kids sang it with all the gusto and pride that they had to give.  And I sat in the row of teachers and I cried.  Because I didn't know what else to do.  And I knew this was bad.  And I didn't feel much different than those little kids.  Confused, but going along with it.

And so life went on.

Ten years later.  I am a mother of three.  And in love.  And all of a sudden, life isn't all about me.  It's about them.  And I can't help but look at the 9-11 attacks as a mother would look at this event.  I can't even begin to imagine what this must have been like for the mothers of the victims.  Or the children who lost their mothers or fathers in the tragedy.  And so, today, it is scary in a whole different way.  And what about the mothers of the men who caused this to happen?  It really gives you a lot to think about.

The families who lost loved ones in the 9-11 attacks.

Stop and pray for these families.  You know they never forgot about 9-11.