Five Years Ago Today...

Five years ago, on September 11, 2001 I awoke just like any other day when my clock radio alarm went off. This time however, there were school closure announcements. Half awake I recognized some of the names and areas from my visits to New York. I wondered "why are they announcing New York closures on our station?" In my gut, I just knew something was really wrong, so I jumped out of bed and immediately turned on the t.v. The first World Trade Center tower had just been hit. I woke Dan up in total confusion and we watched the coverage. Soon Natalie, just 9 months old woke up, so I brought her downstairs and put her in the highchair. Another tower was hit. Then later the Pentagon, then a fourth plane went down in Pittsburgh. I was glued to the t.v. all day, some out of curiosity, but mostly out of fear and deep sadness for what just happened. This was indeed a very significant day.

I remember thinking "What kind of a world am I raising this baby in?" I felt so unsafe and unsure about the future of our country. I couldn't turn the t.v. off. Even at night, I would watch until I fell asleep. I had nightmares about planes crashing into our home and would wake up with my heart just racing. It was an eerie time, even on the west coast. There were no planes flying over our house (and we were in the flight path for PDX). It was strange to go outside and look up and see no commercial planes, no private planes, or jets, or helicopters anywhere...just silence.

As the days past we watched with goose bumps as President Bush addressed the nation from Ground Zero. We saw him in church and we saw him hugging the widows of the firefighters who died trying to save lives. Our country was changed, we were unified and for a short while, political differences and agendas were set aside and people were civil to one another. Leaders from other countries sent their condolences and rallied behind us. Everywhere you went people were displaying the American flag. On their houses, from their cars, on their clothing, bumper stickers, pins, you name it. Patriotism was alive and well in America. Suddenly cheering "God Bless America" was politically correct. Large numbers of people began praying to God and seeking comfort from our Savior.

It was nice while it lasted, but fast forward to 2006 and our country couldn't be more divided. It's amazing what can change in five years. Now people are fighting to get the words "under God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance. The 'war on terror' has now deemed us the bad guy, Muslim nations hate us and we are loosing American lives in Iraq daily. Although I support the work our troops are doing overseas, it just kills me to watch the news...so I don't anymore; it's too depressing.

Every year on this day, I take some time to reflect back and remember those who died, those who survived and those who became heros. I wish our country was in better shape. Morale seems low. For now I will continue to pray.

Here are some photos that were taken on our 2003 trip to NYC. We flew back with Natalie (then 2) and Zander (4 months) to visit my grandparents on Long Island and got to hang out with my Aunt Sue and cousin Jennifer too! Wish we lived closer...and we look forward to visiting again soon!

"The Sphere" from the World Trade Center was moved to Battery Park where it stands as a monumental reminder of 9/11.
Workers in the clean-up effort stop and gaze at the devastation below.
This building was not far from the WTC and you can see the destruction to the brick as well as the windows. A black cloth draped the entire sky scraper. On one side (not in this picture) a huge banner, over 23 stories long, reads "The human spirit is not measured by the size of the act, but by the size of the heart."
Through the fence, you can see the workers still hard at work a year and a half after the attack. It is really amazing to look up and see the space in the sky where there are no buildings. Almost everywhere else in the city is closed in by tall, tall sky scrapers.
Security was high on Wall Street. Just walking down to the NY Stock Exchange building we passed by several armed security guards carrying HUGE, I mean HUGE machine guns. Many tourist attractions were barricaded off, including the stock exchange building, so we just looked from outside. Love the gi-normous flag, don't you?