9/11

It started out as a beautiful September day!  I was hanging out with my babies, Bonnie and Bubba, watching Barney.  My mom called me to ask if I was watching footage of the plane that crashed into the Twin Tours.  I quickly turned it on.  I sat there and watched and felt so sorry for those onboard and those in the building.  As the nation was watching, another plan flew into the other tower and terror struck all of our hearts.  Shortly after, a plane hit the Pentagon and then another went down in a field in Pennsylvania.  We knew it was all planned by the devil himself. The whole country was just waiting for the next one to hit and prayed it wasn't in our city!  Our President came on and pronounced that we were at war.  I immediately panicked realizing I had no idea where Dan was.  The day before, he flew through New York for a business meeting.  We had talked by cell phone but I had no hotel information.  I started frantically calling his office and everyone I could think of that might know a number where I could reach Dan.  Cell phones weren’t working due to the volume of emergency calling. It took me all day to finally make contact with him and I was a wreck.  I BEGGED him to immediately rent a car and come home. He was in Vermont and was sure that flights would start back the next day.  Of course Bubba decides to cut 4 teeth that week and was up every hour for nights in a row.  I remember vividly laying on my couch and hearing a loud jet go by and the terror that I felt.  I thought we were getting attacked and slowly realized that it must be an Air Force jet patrolling our borders and what a relief that was!  Our church hosted a prayer service and I dressed in Red, White & Blue along with Bubs and Bon and cried my eyes out, feeling so sorrowful at the pain that our whole nation was experiencing together.  Dan could not get a rental car and I was so desperate for him to get home to the kids and I.  It was the longest week of my life sitting around all day and night watching the horrifying coverage and the incredible rescue effort that was going on at the World Trade Center.  People from all over the nation flocked to New York to volunteer. 

 

I became Miss GBA, (God Bless America) that week and bought as much patriotic clothing as I could. It was also an amazing time of unity in our country like I had never experienced!  Even our partisan Congress stood together on the Capital steps and sang God Bless America.  It was truly a sight to behold. Our President came into his own, that week and turned into the strong leader that we needed to keep us safe for the rest of his presidency.  We all cried through the incredible service at the Washington National Cathedral listening to Billy Graham comfort the nation.  We also witnessed the love between our President and his father sitting together along with all the other living presidents.  American flags sold out everywhere and were flying on almost every house.  It was the most patriotic time in our country that I had ever experienced.

Finally, Dan was able to rent a car and started making his way home to us.  He drove through New Jersey and saw the tremendous smoke and devastation from across the river.  Dan was stunned and couldn’t believe what he witnessed.  He spent the first night at his parents in Delaware and FINALLY made it home to us.  He pulled in the drive way and I ran downstairs and we both hugged each other and both cried, so very thankful to still have each other and to be together as a family again.

Every year after 9/11, I would sit all the kids down and make them watch this CNN documentary video that I had bought that captured the whole catastrophic event.  We would all sit there and cry. Dan happened to walk in from work one day and gave me quite the tongue lashing telling me to NEVER make our babies watch that video again.  He said I was traumatizing and scaring them.  The kids were so relieved LOL!  I was disappointed. I don’t know if I will ever get through a September 11^th without reliving those painful moments or shedding a good amount of tears.  If not, I’m OK with that because it’s good to remember.  It’s good to feel and to empathize with others.  We must always fight for freedom because in one generation it can all be lost.  That’s why I make it such a priority to educate my kids on our American history, sometimes maybe a little too much. You think?  Dear Lord, we pray for the victim’s families and loved ones this painful day and ask for your grace and comfort to be with them today and always.  God bless America forever and may we continue to fight for freedom!