So as the song says, "Where were you . . .?", I was at work. My boss was out of town because her father was dying. We were talking on the phone and in the background I could hear the TV in the hospital room on Good Morning America. In the middle of her sentence she got distracted and said, "A plane just flew into a building in New York!" I was in front of my computer so went to CNN.com and pulled it up while we were still on the phone. We hung up to pay attention to what we were watching and I told my co-worker. We sat stunned and watched it unfold. I knew my kids were two hours behind us so I called them to make sure they knew what was happening. My co-worker called her family. Since two members of my family were in the military I knew this was going to impact our family. I went home and got a small TV and brought it back so we could watch while we worked. That was when I felt the strange sensation of realizing there was no air traffic. The other part of it was the roads were practically empty. I guess everyone was glued to TV's and computer's like we were.
I watched in horror as we learn about the Pentagon being hit and the plane in Pennsylvania. My co-worker was upset because she had family in Pennsylvania and I have lots of family in Washington, DC. It turns out that one of my cousins was at work in the Pentagon. Facebook would have come in handy during that time. Now when I see posts from folks who are in the path of a hurricane or in the areas that are flooding or earthquakes shaking up the world I think about how easy it is to get the news out that we are safe. Facebook has a definite upside in this respect. We wanted to get in touch with everyone we loved just to see how they were being affected on those days after our sense of security was shattered. As in the song, I wanted to hold my family close. I couldn't do that since they were far away. It was so frustrating to me.
One last note on this whole experience. Pride for America. I remember what it was like before the attacks. I was a kid when men and woman fighting in Vietnam came home expecting to be accepted for doing their duty to our country. This was a time of military drafts and many didn't have a choice of whether they fought in the military. Yet when they came home they were subjected to being jeered at, spit on and treated as if they had done something wrong. Idiots were burning flags in protest. Most people didn't even own a flag much less flew it outside their home or business.
That changed quickly. This attack woke us up to the complacency of our nation. Songs like Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" played on the radio immediately after the attack. Then Alan Jackson's song "Where were you?" and Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" came out and they were played on all kinds of stations, not just country stations. Flags were flown outside homes, on windows, on cars and practically every store you went into had a sign that said they were proud to be an American. I think that we tend to forget things like that when it's not in our face every day and that is sad. It shouldn't take a disaster to appreciate the blessings we have for living in this country.
We see attacks in other countries and shake our heads. But that is far away and of course, it could never happen here". Oklahoma City being bombed was horrifying but that was"one crazy person, right"? Suuuurrrreeee . . . still it couldn't happen again. NYC had a bombing at the World Trade Center in 1993. Once again most thought this was an anomaly. We are safe from the attacks like they have in the Middle East, right? WRONG! We live in a time where countries full of people are being taught that Americans are evil and the enemy.
So yes, never forget September 11, 2001. Not just because so many people died or because so many people were heroes that day and in the months afterward. We don't need to be afraid each and every day. BUT we do need to be aware this is the day and age we live in now. Be diligent and aware, not afraid. Count your blessings and know that family is precious. Life is precious. Remember to tell your family and friends you love them and cherish them. Safeguard them, watch over them. Be proud of the land you live in and the freedoms we enjoy. I know that those freedoms we enjoy makes it easier for lunatics to do stupid things but I don't want our freedoms taken away because of them. Remember, prepare and be aware. Then love and live.
NOTE: After I posted this I found a video and song that I liked. Maybe you will too. At youtube.com search for "I Remember" by HopeWeChange.
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