Decade gone, but not forgotten

Ten years seems so long ago. How could anyone possibly remember what exactly they were doing on that day? Let alone an entire nation. We remember! We will never forget!

Natalie was asked to bring a current event article to school on Friday for Social Studies. She chose one on Cancer Awareness month (which is this month by the way), but many children brought in articles about September 11, 2001. Which of course sparked discussion about the events of that day. Natalie was just 2 1/2 years old. She of course does not remember what happened that day. She was actually sleeping when it all happened. I had just gotten up and was checking my email as I usually do. Joe was at work.

I was glued to the TV after I saw all the news updates about it. I watched the 2nd tower fall. I watched everyone running. I watched the smoke and debris. I watched the chaos. I cried. I worried. I thanked God that none of my family or friends were on any of those flights or in any of those buildings. I wept for the families who lost so much. I wept for the families who will never have complete closure because there is no body to bury. I wept for my unborn baby. I was bringing another child into this world filled with people who were so terribly cruel to innocent people who were just going about their day as I was. I gave birth to that baby girl 7 months to the very day of the events that occurred on September 11, 2011. And it was very much in the news as I sat in my hospital bed holding my new baby. I began to think about those women who were in the hospital giving birth that very day. I began to think about those women who had to give birth to the child they were pregnant with on September 11, 2011 who's husband would never get to see because they were taken away from their family far too soon. Those poor babies growing up without a father. That could have been me, delivering Kaitlyn all on my own.

An entire nation bonded in an instant. To never forget the events that took place. An entire nation remembering today a whole decade later where they were on September 11, 2001. The patriotism our country experienced on that day. We wave the red, white, and blue for the passengers of those four airplanes. We wave the red, white, and blue for the victims in the towers and the Pentagon. We wave the red, white, and blue for the firefighters and emergency personnel who responded to the 911 calls to try and rescue people. We wave the red, white, and blue for our American soldiers who are fighting the fight that was begun here on 9/11/01. It's a decade gone, but definitely not forgotten!

Never Forget

Today is the 8th anniversary of the horrible events that rocked a nation, but made us stronger. On September 11, 2001 an American Airlines flight flew straight into one of the towers of the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m. I will never forget watching those events unfold. I got up like any other morning and went to my computer. Suddenly everyone was all abuzz with stuff about a plane hitting a building. I quickly checked a news site and thought my gosh what a tragic accident. Who would have thought anyone in this world could be so crazy, so cruel, so suicidal to fly a plane straight into a building? But then it happened a second time. I got off the computer grabbed a 2 year old Natalie and went to the living room watching in horror as people were screaming and running from the building. So thankful that my husband did not work there. Thankful that I didn't know personally anyone who did. Sad for those people there living such horror. Sad for the wives who's husbands did work there. Sad for those families of people who worked there. Then I thought about the fact that I was pregnant! Pregnant with Kaitlyn. What am I doing bringing another child into this crazy world? Can you imagine being the woman giving birth to a baby on this day? I felt for her. For the women having babies who were surely going to lose their husband in this awful tragic event. My family was still in tact. I was paralyzed with fear. Watching the television off and on all day. It went on for weeks after as they are showing the clean up and rescue efforts. Those terrorists may have taken the lives of countless innocent people, but they did not accomplish the one thing they wanted to! They did not break the spirit of America. If anything our patriotism grew stronger. Flags were waving all across the country. Horns blowing and voices in unity crying out. It was a scary and amazingly solid time. I don't think I'll ever forget where I was on September 11, 2001. Will you?

Remembering 911

So today on the way to bringing the girls to school I realized it's the 7th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. So I asked the girls if they had learned anything about that at school. They hadn't and Natalie was curious. So I told her a little on our drive to school about what happened that day. And the innocence of a child she couldn't understand why someone would do something like that. Gosh, I wonder why they don't talk about it in school. Although, I guess they are a bit young to grasp the whole concept.

I remember that day so clearly too. I was just a few months pregnant with Kaitlyn. We were living in Ansonia at the time. Joe was at work. Natalie was just 2. When I turned on the TV that morning it had already happened. So I was just watching in horror never expecting the towers to fall. For weeks and months that was all that was talked about. To hear the stories of the people it's just all so surreal.

I think this was the first big event in my life that's a part of history that I will be able to clearly tell people what I was doing on September 11th. I mean I remember when Challenger blew up. We actually had a snow day, but I was pretty young and I didn't get the gravity of the situation much like Natalie doesn't understand that there are people out there who can hate so deeply. I guess this is the moment in my life like my parents used to always talk about when the anniversary of JFK came around. Every year they used to tell us what they were doing that day. I couldn't understand how someone who they didn't even know personally could have such an impact on their lives that they could remember exactly what they were doing when they heard about JFK. Not until 9/11 happened.

I didn't know anyone who died, but my heart sank for all those families who lost loved ones. I was so relieved that it wasn't my husband in one of those towers. And at the same time I was scared of what would happen next. I was terrified to bring this new baby into the world not knowing what kind of world it would be for her. And exactly 7 months to the day Kaitlyn was born. My fears have subsided for the most part now. And I guess I do feel like Natalie in not understanding a person's hatred of people they don't even know. I don't really understand how anyone can go on a suicide mission like that either. I love my country, but I wouldn't purposely go out and kill myself for it. I am grateful to the men and women who do serve our country and put their lives on the line to protect us though. I hope that someday my children can live in a world where there isn't this kind of blind hate though.