Where Were You?

9/11. Throughout history, the most critical events have been marked by each individual's ability to remember exactly what they were doing when "it" happened. My parents could tell you where they were when JFK was assassinated or when man first stepped on the moon, without thinking twice. I could tell you where I was when the Challenger was lost, and subsequently, where I was when the news of yet another space shuttle disaster, Columbia, reached my ears. But, without question, the events of September 11, 2001 are etched on my memory like no other.

It was a beautiful, typical morning for our family of three (plus my bulging belly... later known as Grace). Phil was sitting at his computer desk, just getting ready to check one of the Detroit papers, on-line, for the latest Tiger's scores. He often called to me to report these on any given morning. I had just begun to prepare Seth's bottles for the day, when Phil did, indeed, say, "Lisa, you have to come here!" Figuring that there was some clutch, game winning home run or something, I called back that he would have to hang on a minute. But he wasn't going to wait.

Within moments, I was staring at footage of a second plane flying, mercilessly, into the World Trade Center.

I sat down to read the breaking news, as Phil worked to get the television tuned in. The only word that comes even close to adequately describing my feelings is surreal. Somehow, I couldn't believe it was really happening.

At some point, I must have gathered my wits enough to finish making the bottles, because Seth didn't starve that day. In fact, we hung him up in a "Johnny Jumper" in the computer room doorway and fed him Cheerios all day long. And we watched the news for nearly 24 straight hours.

My immediate concerns were for my cousin who lives in New York City and for my dad who was on a flight to Chicago that morning. Both were fine, though I assume a bit inconvenienced. It took my dad hours to rent a car in order to get home.

As I think back on this event in history, today, I realize that I still have a difficult time wrapping my mind around what happened there. It changed our world forever... and it changed our world completely. Yet I think there are already a great number of people who have forgotten. I am not suggesting that we all dwell on the events of the past, day in and day out, until we find ourselves unable to live in the present or hope for the future. There is a time to move on. Our own family did just that, celebrating Seth's first birthday just four days after the attack... welcoming a new little princess to the world the following month... beginning our journey toward God's call just weeks later... and so on... and so on...

But I hope that we will always stop to remember, if only just for a moment, each September 11th.

Thanks for Reading.

Lisa