Thoughts

Luke and I had a very routine morning schedule. He was 11 months old, and every morning we would cuddle together on the couch in the front room. He would be on my lap with his back laying against my chest, holding a bottle of milk. While he drank he would watch Elmo's World on PBS.

I remember flipping the channel to the news and seeing the footage of the twin towers burning. I knew we had been attacked by terrorists and I walked into the bathroom to tell Steve, who was in the shower. I remember him, not quite believing me, and saying it could be something else.

When Steve finally made it to the television, he was in as much shock as I was.

Like all Americans I was glued to the television all day and all night. Your emotions would change constantly. From scared, to sad, to angry, and helpless.

I stayed up most the night, and still remember one story that is vivid in my mind. (I have tried searching for it online, to no avail.) It was a reporter in downtown New York. She was surrounded by family and friends who were missing loved ones. They all held a picture in their hand of the person they were looking for.

The woman reporter only had a brief time to explain the situation where she was. She would ask a couple people to explain about their situation, show the picture of who they were looking for, where they worked. She quickly realized she could not just talk to a couple of people, their were crowds and crowds holding pictures. She kept pleading with the studio to give her more time with the crowd, so more people could plead helplessly to national television.

This is when the reality set in for me. How such barbaric and cruel acts could change families and the country I live in, forever.

I saw a story online, about the 25 most Powerful Pictures from 9-11. This one grabbed my attention the most.

To me this picture shows shows how everyone in America felt at that moment of the attacks. It also is a mirror to the face of America. We are diverse, we are united, we strong, we have emotions, and we will not take terrorism sitting down.

Today, 10 years later, I am still nervous in certain places. I could care less if I ever travel outside of this country, and I know the war on terror will probably escalate again at some point. But I will not let that stop me from living my life. I want my children to be good citizens of this country and community. To learn to to treat everyone equally, and understand that God created diversity, and that if we choose to follow him, we will be Christ like in our actions towards others.