I grew up hearing the old people saying where they were when Kennedy was shot. My mother saved the newspaper from that day, and we were allowed to bring it to school on occasion...now people remember where they were and what they were doing on September 11, 2001....
I called my parents' number, like I did every single morning after the kids got on the bus. The kids then: Emily-16, Abigail-14, Benjamin-12, Mirielle-11, Joseph-10, Aaron-8, Mali-7, Samuel-6....they were off to school....at home I had Margaret-4 and a half, Kathryn-3, Evelyn-2, and Suzanne-6 months. (I was also expecting Miss Sonja, but didn't know it yet).....
So I called my parents, and my dad answered the phone. He said, "Turn on the t.v., we're being attacked..." I did. I stood there with Suze on one hip and Ev on the other, watching in shock as the cameras caught the smoke and the confusion. We stayed on the phone for a long time, while Margaret stood there next to me trying to make sense of what her little four year old mind was seeing...she kept saying over and over again, "What about the babies? Don't they care about the babies?"
I admit, though this happened in my own state of New York, I didn't know anyone personally who lost their life that day. But it was and still is overhwelmingly sad and upsetting.
That day, all I wanted was my family close to me. Paul had to take some of the kids to the dentist, and I had to take some to the pediatrician. We split them up so they were all with us, even though by then Emily was old enough to babysit.....because it was scary. We didn't quite know what was going on that day, what the future would bring. But I remember feeling fiercely protective of my children, my family....and I remember vowing not to take anything for granted....
So today around this great country of ours, the U.S.of A., there are ceremonies and remembrances....and here our family we shall celebrate by enjoying the weather and straightening things out and coating the camper roof and going to WalMart. And this mommy is thankful, however corny it may sound, for all those who have served and sacrificed to give us this freedom....it hasn't escaped my notice how fortunate we are to live in this country and are able to freely accept these children from God, drive a huge van, have a nice big yard with plenty of room to roam....I am thankful. Very thankful.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Amen.
Amen to that!
Hubby's office had just moved from the section where the plane hit days before the plane hit. His boss thought it was a bomb and told everyone to get out of the building asap, go and not to stop for anything. One of his coworkers left her purse in the office, so she could not drive her car home. She hitchhiked back to Baltimore and to this day, still keeps her keys on her person, not in her purse. Hubby called me about 90 minutes after the news broke and said they had them walk to the nearest Metro stop and take the metro away from the city. I drove an hour and picked him up...
My mother remembers when Pearl Harbor was attacked. She was only 3, but she says she will never forget all of the adults crying and how scared she was. I will never forget 9/11. I was in Texas, far from the attacks, but I remember being terrified. I left school and drove to church. This year I am in NZ and had to listen to well meaning kiwi friends discuss it and the following years. All I could do was smile, while on the inside I thought--I hope you never understand how it feels to live through such a tragedy. It's easy to take life and safety for granted when you have lived your whole life on a tiny island, but I don't.
Post a Comment