Remembering 9/11

I hadn’t planned to do a post about 9/11 today, but I am feeling compelled. It was seven years ago today that the world changed, and that is worth remembering.

I think back to who I was then. Certainly different than I am now. Mitch and I hadn’t even been married for a year, and children weren’t even on our radar. I remember how horrified I was by the whole thing. I remember my mom frantically trying to get in touch with me to make sure I was ok. I remember lying to her – telling her not to worry, that my office was “nowhere near” any building that anyone would want to attack – and yet I was three blocks from the White House. I remember how Mitch and I quietly made our way to his parent’s house because it happened at a time when our particular commuter train wasn’t running and we couldn’t get straight home.

So today I find myself imagining how scary it would have been if we had had the boys at that time. How we would have been scrambling to try to get to them. How I wouldn’t have been able to breathe until I held them in my arms. I am thankful that I didn’t have to experience that, and hope that I never will. And yet, at the same time, I am grateful that I have such beings to worry about. May they always be safe in this unpredictable, sometimes scary world. And may I always be able to protect them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today also has significance for other reasons. Four years ago today, my father passed away. And one year ago today, his father, my grandfather, passed away. On a day so wrought with memories of loss and sadness, I will take a deep breath, and hug my boys extra hard and give them extra kisses, thankful that at this point in their lives, the date “September 11th” means nothing to them at all.