Day 400 Just an Ordinary Day

 

Just an ordinary day, isn’t that how they all begin? For those of us old enough to remember the events of September 11th, it started out like any other day and changed the rest of our days in one moment. My friend Melissa had come over for a morning visit, some things never change. She and I sat in my kitchen chatting and drinking coffee with the tv on in the background but with little volume. We weren’t paying any attention to it until my oldest son walked into the room and turned it up, telling us that something was happening in NYC. We watched as the smoke bellowed from the first tower, standing around the tv as if we could pull more information out if standing. We were confused, was it an accident? What the heck could have happened? Then to our shock we watched the live camera shot of the second plane heading toward the south tower, not wanting to see or believe what we knew was coming. As the second plane hit we stood in my kitchen hugging each other in disbelief. Our world was under attack and it felt as if the next blow could happen anywhere. By the time the third plane hit the Pentagon we were certain the unimaginable terror wouldn’t stop and we braced for what might be coming our way. When the people on the fourth plane realized they were hijacked they knew  from the mornings events what their fate would be and took matters into their hands to take over the plane before it hit its intended target, sadly crashing into a field but saving countless lives. What isn’t understood today when we talk about the events of that day is the gripping fear of what might be next, how many attacks would our beautiful country have to endure? No one felt safe, anywhere and all you could do was hug your children, call your family members and pray for the people that faced evil that morning. My life took a drastic turn that morning as well, from the comfort and safety of my kitchen I watched my 14 year old sons determination to defend our country and his family at all cost. He couldn’t grow up fast enough to join the army, become an Army Ranger and spend the rest of his life fighting against terrorism. That day changed us all, it united us all as Americans and we felt kinship with every single person in the country that day and the days that followed. Everyone knows someone hurt or killed on 911, at least if you’re old, but not everyone realizes the change that came from that moment of first impact, the people that committed to serving our country, defending our land and the mothers that hugged their children, afraid of the world they would inherit. One thing was for sure, no one that lived through that day will ever take an ordinary day for granted again, if there is such a thing.