For me, today is that day.
I remember my parents and grandparents talking about events in our nation's history, and when they did, their voices weakened, their shoulders slumped, their eyes became teary. When they talked about that day, they recalled specific events, that to me, seemed quite insignificant - what they were wearing, what they were holding, where they were, what song was playing on the radio. Seemingly insignificant events made significant because they occurred on that day. They spoke of them in reverence, wanting, willing us to understand, all while sheltering us from the pain of that day. With every word, they were speaking truth of a tragedy, and they were uttering a thankful prayer that their innocent child, grandchild did not know the evil of the world in such a way.
For me, that day, was September 11, 2001.
I was a sophomore at Hillcrest High School, sitting in Mrs. Hudson's Foods and Parenting class, drinking an ice cold Diet Mt. Dew, as had become my awful habit, ready to cook whatever was on her menu for the day. I was busy chatting with my friends who occupied the same table. To this day, twelve years later, I still remember the distant sound of the ringing phone in her office. Her always cheery "hello," didn't disappoint. Then, as she listened, her smile drooped, her sunshine voice turned drastically dim. She hung up the phone in her windowed office, walking purposefully to the television. She immediately turned from Channel One, the school news program we watched each morning without fail, to a national news channel where we watched, in horror as a second plane flew into the World Trade Center.
That day.
A day I will never forget.
We continued throughout the day. There wasn't a lot of teaching, but as a student, there was a lot of learning. Teachers opted out of lesson plans, choosing a trusty news anchor instead. Most clutched cell phones as their fears were silenced and it was confirmed that their children, their loved ones were safe. We watched the events of the day unfold, and we learned truths and evil we can never unlearn. We saw things we can never unsee. We heard things we can never unhear.
As I left, I drove down Patriot Parkway, my radio blasting live footage of the day. It was like a drug I couldn't deny. No matter how much I wanted, I couldn't silence the news.
That day.
A day I will never forget.
Fast forward twelve years. As I visit classrooms and see school age children boasting their red, white, and blue, observe moments of silence, and color flags, I realize, not a single student in the building experienced that day. Along with others, I now understand the role of my parents, grandparents. It is my job to help them understand the magnitude of this day.
May we never forget the heroic actions displayed by so many on that day.
May we never forget the lives lost on that day.
May we never forget the way our nation turned to a Sovereign God who held us closely, comforted our hurts, and guarded our hearts on that day.
Ramble Two.
In other, much lighter news, we are not participating in this year's Buddy Walk. A special thank you again to all who supported us last year, and who were waiting patiently for us to announce plans for this year. We have other organizations who provide our family with more support, and through prayer and discussion, Brian and I made the difficult decision to instead focus our time, energy, and financial resources on supporting them.
A huge congratulations and best wishes to all families participating! I know you will have a wonderful time. If you don't have an organization that you support, and would like to get plugged into one, this is worthy!
Ramble Three.
I have almost completed Day 6 of Advocare's 24 Day Challenge. It is not nearly as hard as I imagined it would be. And I have more energy than I thought possible after a full day at work and mommying a sixteen month old. This very skeptical consumer is a believer! And Spark, hello fabulous! I won't bore you with the nitty gritty details, but there have been pounds and inches lost already! Woop!
I became a distributor, so if you want to purchase, or have questions, let me know!
Or you can visit my Advocare page. Beware, I'm a newcomer, so I don't have a fabulous story yet. But, it's being written daily!
https://www.advocare.com/130853419/default.aspx
Ramble Four.
I always believe in saving the best for last. I like to leave you smiling! So instead of more words, I'll bless your day with some pictures of my precious doll baby and his handsome daddy.
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