Remembering 9/11/2001

I am sure everyone remembers where they were when they first heard about the events on 9/11/2001. It was the first time in my lifetime that I was aware of not being at peace in the world.

I was a 28 year old, stay at home mom. Michael was 10 and in 5th grade. Alexa was 7 and in the 2nd grade. Celeste was almost 4 and I was expecting our fourth child {one that I lost a little over a month later}.

It was like any other school day morning, in that we never turn the TV on before school. Our little neighbor, Patrick, came to the door for a ride to school and said "someone just bombed the Pentagon". I thought he must have heard wrong. An attack on our country? On our soil? That just did not seem possible.

I took the kids to school as usual and immediately turned on the TV. I don't remember eating all day. I don't remember taking care of Celeste. I only remember those horrifying, life changing images. I was hysterical, sad, scared, traumatized, and I didn't even personally know anyone there. I have a hard time putting into words how it affected me. How scared I was to be bringing a child into the world that now would be at war.

I am now watching on TV, playback of the live coverage of that morning. It is bringing it all right back.

My heart goes out to everyone who lost someone that day.

My heart, and gratitude, goes out to those on flight 93 who sacrificed themselves to save others.

I think about how different our world is now. How my Sophie was not even born yet, and her entire lifetime our country has been at war.

I am remembering how that day forever changed us as Americans.

``If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate,'' said Sandy Dahl, the wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl.