Barnaclebutt

Driving home from work today I saw a row of American flags that had been arranged on an overpass above the freeway.

Of course it made me remember 9/11. And it made me think of the phrase I sometimes hear, "never forget." I felt bad for a moment because I have a fairly poor long term memory (except for bad/dumb songs; I remember those forever)and I tried to take a mental inventory of what I remember from that sad day and the weeks that followed.

I remember standing in our little condo in Northern Virginia, watching my little girls play and talking on the corded phone with my friend Brandy when the television coverage started.

I remember the feeling of confusion about what was happening and her immediate recognition that it was al-Qaeda (she was a reporter in her pre-mom days).

I remember feeling desperate for Marc to get out of D.C. where he worked and to get home. That feeling of fear, of being unsafe is something I will never forget. Knowing that feeling, I have more empathy and desire to help people who live in countries where they feel that way all the time, and I have a much vaster appreciation for the feelings of safety and peace that I enjoy now and have been blessed with for most of my life. In spite of our mistakes, this is a Great country.

Later in the week we called our dear friends the Klasses who lived in New York. We only knew one family in the whole state, surely they were fine...but we were still afraid to call and find out. 

When we finally reached them they weren't fine. Kristen's brother-in-law had an office in one of the towers and had died while on the phone telling her sister how much he loved her and their two children. Although we didn't know Eileen and Michael well, I remember how unbearable it felt.

I remember Kristen telling me she was glad I called. I told her how useless and stupid all my words felt but she said her friends were now divided into two camps, those who cared enough to check on her, and those who let their fears stop them. I learned that I should never let fear stop me from telling someone who is suffering that I love them.

September 11th changed us all. What do you remember?