Remembering 9-11

    This weekend we'll observe the ten year anniversary of 9-11. I have many vivid memories of that day, and I am sure many of you do as well. On that warm September day I was still on maternity leave. Tori was just 6 weeks old at the time. On that particular Tuesday, she had slept in, which was a great treat as sleep depravation was beginning to get the better of me. I woke up and turned on the TV. I found it strange that the same thing seemed to be on every channel. After listening to the news reports of what was going on, I frantically called families members to make sure no one was traveling. I was relieved to find out that everyone was home. I remember my mom telling me, "because of today, Tori will grow up in a very different world than you did."

    As I think about my mom's words on that day, I wonder how much 9-11 has impacted my children's lives. I think that they've grown up in a different world than I did, but I think that can be said of any generation. Are they safer from terrorists today then they were ten years ago? I don't know. What I do know is that in addition to the specific details of that day that remain (Ty came home early from work, we placed Tori in her swing away from the TV while we listened to the news reports, we ate Shake N Bake Chicken for dinner) I remember the great sense of camaraderie that was felt throughout our nation. We had all pulled together for one cause. Unfortunately, today we seem to be more divided as a country. My hope is that as we reflect upon 9-11 and pay tribute to and remember all of those that lost their lives that day, we can also remember what it felt like to come together as a country and can work on carrying that feeling forward.

Posted by Margaret Sarver