The One with the Flight

Today was an interesting day.  I'm attending a conference in California this week which meant that I flew over here today.  On September 11th.  I definitely did not think I would be flying on the 10th anniversary of such an event.  It made me think a lot about where I was 10 years ago and where I am today.  I think there is(are) a defining event(s) that occurs in everyone's lifetime and they remember where they were when they heard the news.  Like Pearl Harbor, or the assassination of JFK.  For my generation it's 9/11.

Fall of 2001 was the beginning of my senior year of high school.  I was dual enrolled at EAC as well and was getting ready for my first class of the day (English 101, blech) when I heard Mom gasp in the living room.  She was watching the morning news as she also got ready for work.  I walked down the hallway to see what caused her reaction and the TV came into view.  I can distinctly remember those first shaky clips of the plane hitting the first tower of the World Trade Center.  As we watched they had live coverage of the second attack.  It was unreal, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  I sincerely thought America was untouchable.  I didn't think any wars would be fought during my lifetime.  The only ones I would know about were those already in the history books.  Apparently not.

The rest of that day was a blur and yet passed in slow motion.  The redeeming factor of taking English at the time was the professor skipped the lesson and gave us the hour to free write.  I'm not a very good journal writer so having my thoughts and feelings from that day written down is very special to me.  Thankfully, the attacks on the World Trade Center and attempted attacks on other American landmarks didn't thrust our country into World War III.  The War on Terrorism has changed our day to day lives very little.  I still went to college, got a degree and then a job.  And now I'm in graduate school.  I don't even know anybody who was on any of the fallen flights.  Or anybody who knew anybody who knew anybody on those flights.  Really the only effect I saw was a sense of unity and increased national pride.  Sadly, those effects seem to be fading, in general.  They haven't faded for me, or for Justin.

This morning we went to the Music & the Spoken Word 9/11 Special.  It was amazing.  I hope those of us who remember that day really do "Never Forget."  I hope we never forget how important our families are, how great are communities can be when they work together and how blessed this nation really is.  This picture sums up how we felt when we left.  In the words of my husband "Go America!"