September 11th

I was working part-time. It is funny what you remember. I know what I was wearing. I had dropped Nature Girl off at the babysitters. The babysitter had a big screen TV and she had the news on. I thought she was watching a movie to be honest. At that moment, no one really knew what was going on. Just that a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center Towers in NYC. I left and went on to work. By the time I had gotten to work, the second plane had hit and everyone was beginning to understand the gravity of what was happening in our country.

At the time I was working in a federal office building in a capital city. I remember there was a little bit of panic in our office. Some employees even left to go home and be with their families. I remember President Bush getting the news while reading to some children. I remember him leaning over. I remember his immediate reaction.

Our country was never going to be the same. We were no longer living in a secure world. Those kinds of things only happened in other countries, half way round the world. How could this have happened to us? Hatred and suspicions skyrocketed. But a sense of patriotism awoke that day as well. Benjamin Franklin has a quote and it goes something like this: Those who give up liberty for the sake of security deserve neither. Those aren't his exact words but it has made me think. A lot of things have changed since then. Some things I agree with. Some things I don't. I will just continue to have faith in God and pray today that nothing like that ever happens again . . .