September 11th

Jason and I talked on the phone this afternoon (before he arrived home...yay!) about our memories from September 11, 2001.  He had the day off from classes at WKU and was at his grandpa's house, and I was about to leave for class at LWC, when my favorite early morning tv show, GMA (still is my morning program of choice) cut in with news of a plane hitting the World Trade Center.  I watched until time for classes (which weren't canceled) and then spent the entire class bonding, telling stories, and listening to life experiences of our professor, as well all tried to process the horror of that day, and the uncertainty of what would happen next.  It was such a scary day, and one that I will never forget.

This morning at church, a video was played with images of that horrible day, and in the background was the Alan Jackson song, "Where Were You?"  While I did not personally lose anyone on that day, the tears would not stop.  I feel such compassion and sorrow for all the lives that were both lost and impacted, on that day and since.  Our associate minister spoke today about Todd Beamer, and I remember how struck I was by his story, and in the time following that day, reading all the material about his story I could get my hands on.  Reading and remembering the individuals of that day brings rushing back to the surface all the emotions from that time in my life, and honestly, while it is sad, I think it is a good reminder about the frailty of life, the importance of time, and how we should tell the people we love every day just what they mean to us, because we don't know when it might be the last time.

When I got home this afternoon, I started digging through pictures, looking for the photos from my first ever trip to New York City.  I went with my aunt and grandma during spring break of my junior year of high school, in April 2000.  Here are a few of the photos I found:

me with Aunt MB at the Statue of Liberty





my view of the NYC skyline in April 2000

Sadly, that first trip to NYC was the only one I had before the tragedy of September 11, 2001.  The other 6 trips since have all been wonderful, but I am always reminded of the amazing towers that are no longer there. 

In my prayers tonight will be all of those who are remembering and grieving tonight.  However, I hope that by tomorrow night, I don't forget; instead, I hope I will continue to remember what changed that day, and pray that nothing as tragic happens in my (or Connor's) lifetime again.