9/11

Often we heard stories from our parents and others of their generation retelling their experiences on the day of Pearl Harbor or the end of WWII, VE or VJ Dy.  They remember that day, what they were doing, where they were, the feelings that they had.  I think for our generation and maybe for our children's Nine-Eleven will be that kind of experience.  It will be a day, one we will remember with details and feelings.  I can remember that morning was so beautiful and my "late" husband, late as in last, walked early and had not heard the news.  We commented on how quiet it seemed that morning not understanding that was a indication of what was happening in New York and Pennsylvania.   It was a silence that we experienced while others died and lived with more tragedy, surrounded by noise and anguish that we can only imagine.  When we turned on the news after the walk, we were completely shocked at the tragedy unfolding before our eyes.  A neighbor came over just as the first tower fell. I believe she came not just to ask if we were watching but I will always feel it was to find some comfort that we were home and she was not alone in all the sorrow.  Later that evening we sat in our hot tub on top of a mountain in Wetumpka and watched a dark sky. Usually planes making their approach or leaving the Atlanta airspace were visible.  That evening though was totally quiet, totally black.  I know that those are experiences that for many will never be forgotten, for many others we will do all we can to forget.  Tragedy and sorrow are difficult feelings to hold on to.  They make us scared and uncomfortable.  But if we refuse to embraced the sorrow of life, then we also choose to embrace the beauty of it. Life is two sided, all religions, all psychology teaches this.  Our personal tragedies seem small when the tragedy of mankind is examined and the world is viewed in its entirety.   My personal problems seem so unimportant in comparison to what happened that day. But they are mine and after this weekend, they will overwhelm me just as they have in the past. For a few days though, I can view them as inconsequential and petty.  My thoughts and prayers are with all of you in this time of remembrance.