Remembrance

I took my girls to school this morning because one had to discuss some issues with different teachers and needed time to do so.  As I drove through the dark, both girls were catching up on studying so I turned on the radio and discovered that today was September 11th.  There was a time in my life when I would have known what day it was, but that time has ended and so it came as a shock to me that I didn't realize that today was the 12th anniversary of that horrific time in our nation.  The DJ wanted us to take time to reflect about where we were on that day when we got the news of the planes flying into the towers at the World Trade Center.  That is something I will never forget.

I was at the gym working out.  Darcy was in the daycare center at the gym.  Madison was at preschool.  I was on the elliptical working up a sweat and listening to and watching ESPN, one of the four channels the gym has on its televisions.  To the left of the television with ESPN was the TV with the Today Show.  During a commercial I switched to it and in the midst of whatever they were talking about came the first report of the first hit.  I listened as I churned my feet round and round the elliptical and then the second plane hit.  I watched it live.  I moved as if in a dream from the elliptical to the bike to the weights.  It was sitting on the bench working my arms that I saw the first tower crumble to the ground.  I stood up.  Everyone and everything in the gym moved as if in slow motion.  I locked eyes with strangers and saw the shock and disbelief that I knew had to be in my own.  The room was silent.  Everyone was staring at the TV.  I didn't hesitate.  I stood up and went to get Darcy.  I remember walking like a zombie into the daycare center, falling to my knees to hug my daughter, and asking the two ladies if they knew what had happened.  From there I drove away and immediately went to get Madison.  I didn't care that school wasn't done yet for the day.  I needed my kids with me.

The rest of the day was spent with my friend Krista.  My husband was out of town on business, locked down in a government facility in the Midwest.  Her husband was on a flight to Italy, completely unaware of what he had just left behind.  We sat together that day glued to the television, our girls playing in the room behind us.  It is a day that bonds us and one we will never forget.  I remember.

The site http://www.911day.org asks us to remember.  I do.  It also asks us to perform a good deed in remembrance of that day and lists some of the pledges that others have made; I will call my grandmother, I will find a fireman and thank him for his service, I will make food for my neighbors.  I like to think I do good deeds most of the time, but today I will try to do several.  But on this site today I will steal from another's pledge and list (just a small one) the things that I am thankful for.

• I am thankful for my children, my husband, and our families.  I don't let them know that enough, but the love I have for all of them is overwhelming to me at times.  I have a large family on my father's side, and I am thankful for our yearly reunions that allows us time to visit.  I have a smaller family on my mother's side, but I love each and everyone of them and am thankful we stay in touch.  I am thankful for my husband's family, and I'm glad for the time we have to spend with them.
• I am thankful for the relationship that I have with my sister-in-law, my brother's wife.  It wasn't always there, and I am embarrassed about my part in that and so thankful that we have found common ground and formed a friendship that I couldn't do without.
• I am thankful for the close friends that I can count on one hand; Kelly, who we consider family, Sharon, who finishes my sentences and knows me inside and out, Robin who allows us to crash her home every summer, and SueG who gives and expects nothing in return.  I am thankful for the friends I have made through the years who love me unconditionally (too many to name).
• I am thankful for social media that allows me to keep in contact with family and friends, that has reconnected me with old friends and neighbors, and that gives me entertainment throughout the day.
• I am thankful for my neighbors.  I have the best.
• I am thankful for my health and the health of my family and friends.
• I am thankful that the world is becoming more acceptable of different lifestyles.  There is much work still left to be done, but I am thankful for those who put aside their beliefs and recognize that love should be shared.
• I am thankful for the joy that the dog has brought into our family, despite all the work that comes with him.
• I am thankful for my parents teaching me the importance of being part of a team and giving me the love of sports which brings me immense pleasure whether playing or watching.
• I am thankful for music.  It not only motivates me at times, but it brings me comfort.
• I am thankful that I've finally wised up and listened to my father about labeling pictures and thankful for the memories my pictures bring me.

I am thankful for so much more, and this list could go on and on.  I think that what this day, twelve years ago, showed me was that we are in this together.  The nation and the people came together and shared in this tragedy and the aftermath and the rebuilding.  I remember the kindness, the goodness, the humanity that came in the days and weeks after 9/11.  I am so thankful for this country and the men and women who serve for all of us, and I remember.