9.11

What things have changed and how life has moved on since this tragic day in our nation's history. Sadness encompasses me at every turn. From 9.11 commercials, documentaries, websites and photographs, I cannot get away from those images burned in my memory.

As a high school student, the day this happened I walked from class to class to watch news reporter after news reporter try and convey this awful, dismal, terrorist attack on us. I listened to guess after guess of why the airplane hit the building. Terrorism never entered their minds...until they caught on live TV the second plane purposefully crash into the building. Then- we knew. 

The hairs on our arms stuck up. Our guts tightened and grew sick. Tears filled our eyes and a lump grew in our throat too big to swallow. What...was going to become of us?

Then we came together and we dug through the rubble and found our loved ones...some were on the news begging for anyone to let them know if their loved one had been seen...days grew into weeks...some people survived...many did not.

Flags were hung at half staff. Boots that once were used to march into the battlefield now held the lost soldier's gun and dog tags. Blood stained helmets lay broken on the pavement. 9.11 made widows, children fatherless, motherless and parents it made childless. And yet...we joined hands and hearts and sang out 

"O beautiful for heroes prov'd
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!

America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!"

We came together and we fought back, vowing to never retreat or surrender but to redeem those lost souls! And come what may, we did our best. And like they always do, politics found a way to root its ugly head into the midst and we lost focus. Still, 10 years later we have not forgotten...and I know, we never will. In spite of what our history books may or may not say in the future, my children will know what events took place on the fateful day, because I was there. I saw with my eyes the crashes and the fire. I saw the towers fall. And I saw heroes run in those buildings and I saw victims fall from them. I saw...and I cried.

I'm just glad I'm in God's hands.

Here's a great song to remind you of all it takes to be an American...and all it means!

If tomorrow all the things were gone
I'd worked for all my life,
And I had to start again
with just my children and my wife,
I'd thank my lucky stars
to be living here today,
'Cause the flag still stands for freedom
and they can't take that away.


I'm proud to be an American
where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the men who died
who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you
and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.

From the lakes of Minnesota
to the hills of Tennessee,
Across the plains of Texas
from sea to shining sea.
From Detroit down to Houston
and New York to L.A.,
There's pride in every American heart
and it's time we stand and say:


I'm proud to be an American
where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the men who died
who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you
and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.