In Remembrance...

I would like to dedicate this posting to the Heroes of 9/11:

It is difficult to think that the tenth anniversary of 9/11 is quickly approaching this Sunday. This week, as I look at my beautiful little girl and think about how thankful her Daddy and I are to have her and her handsome big brother in our lives, I have been doing a lot of reflecting.

So many innocent people became heroes on that day. The NYPD, NYFD, the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93, the passengers of American Airlines Flight 77, the individuals who were able to get people out of the WTC buildings and Pentagon and the people who wanted to get out to see their own loved ones, but who were not able to. I think that this horrific tragedy taught us how precious life is and how important it is to hug and love the ones that we are with and to thank God every day for blessing us with family and friends.

It is difficult for me to think about how our post-9/11 world, the world that my children will grow up in varies so differently from the world that I grew up in. Although, I think that 9/11 caused many of us to grow up a lot faster. I will always remember walking a loved one to the gate as they were getting ready to head off on their next journey, and my children will be forced to wave goodbye from a distance. It makes me sad to think about how much things have changed, but at the same time I want my children to be safe and will do anything in my power to have them feel secure.

In my reflections, I have been thinking about what I was doing at the time of 9/11.

On 9/11/01, I was a sophomore at The University of Tulsa and Chris and I had been dating for just over six months.  I was living upstairs in the Delta Gamma house. I remember getting out of the shower and brushing my teeth. As I was brushing my teeth, I walked over to my suite mates, Lauren Bamberger and Laura Hink's room and saw the TV. I was in utter and complete shock, and felt to best describe it...numb. It took a little while to really process what had happened and how our world was going to change and continues to change to this day. Even from as far away as Tulsa, OK...I remember calling those I love to make sure that they were okay.

While I feel my life is moving very fast, I now have a wonderful husband (the same guy I had been dating on 9/11/01 for six months) and two beautiful children, I know that for the families of the individuals who lost their lives on that day, time has stood still. As difficult as the past ten years have been for them and for a country that continues to heal, I hope that we are able to reflect on how these individuals really are the heroes of our county--not actors, actresses, musicians or other media figures, but these individuals and the servicemen and servicewomen who continue to fight for our freedom on a daily basis. God Bless you all and God Bless the U.S.A.

Where were you on 9/11?