9/11 Memories Still Ring the Same

Written on 9/11/2006 Nothing has changed the history of this day. Thankful my son made it safely through his 6+ years as a Navy Corpsman, including 5 years greenside with the Marines. Thankful we have a thoughtful President who does not rush to war but believes in putting force to back up diplomacy.

9/11
Worked all day the anniversary of 9/11....I guess that was better than watching it all unfold one more time on the tube. All those memories, the things I learned...Matt, Buster, the grandkids here, their mom far away...it was just mind numbing circumstances....and yes, Buster...the dog. At the beginning of that day, the last thing I thought as I walked out the door was about going by Tomlinson's for dog food. Now Buster was a rescue, he'd had his share of hungry days....and I know in his heart that even after 10 years of living with us, he did not trust us to always give him food. I'm telling you, the animal never missed a meal with us after Matt got him for his 6th birthday...NEVER...but on 9/11/2001...I came home from work, I cooked a huge meal, full of comfort foods...mashed potatoes, fried chicken, the works....went to call the family to dinner....and there sat Buster...by the couch. I just looked at him....and he knew. I had not brought home the dog food. He got up walked toward me and BARKED at me...he had never, ever barked at me....but he chewed my butt up one side and down the other. Tomlinson's was closed by the tragedy, but Target was open. And Buster got his dinner before I had mine.
I was at Starbucks back then, normally at work at 5am, but with the grandkids with us, I was working a mid shift...Matt and I were on our way to Akins High School, when we heard the news...and pulling into the parking lot when the second plane hit. Matt flew out of the car "I'm finding a television"....thank goodness for his History teacher, when the school DID NOT put this on the TVs in classrooms, he did.(edit: it was his theater teacher, I now have been told.)

At Starbucks, when I arrived... a million questions from everyone there....and we sent for a radio....so many rumors, so many people just standing in that little coffee shop, just waiting. A woman told me her husband was flying on the East coast that day...never did hear the rest of that tale. I still think about her. We turned on that radio...and Peter Jenning's voice took over the store, it was an amazing cloud of calm to all of us...Flight 93 had disappeared...The Pentagon was in flames...but Peter Jennings was on the radio and his voice never faltered...altho you could hear the tears at times.

The phone...and Darcie was there, and we both were in tears...she was so worried about her kids and I was so scared of her flying home from Las Vegas...and neither of us were in control of what was happening! When I went to the school to get the kids, Sam was under the desk (remember that from the Cold War? like that desk would do anything....) I didn't know whether to laugh or cry...Zach's class was sitting in the hallway...

but we made it home, and safe, except for Buster, of course, who was cursing the day this nutty family that didn't feed him found him!

The next day....dropping Sam and Zach at school, I told them that if for one second I thought they were not safe there, I would keep them with me, but I had faith in the principal at Odem Elementary, and they should, too...kids are so trusting, if Grandma said it, it's okay. They were out the door.

For me personally, the biggest change was in my son. That afternoon, I picked him and a couple of friends up from school...driving, talking....the boys in the back seat were concerned that there would be a draft....and Matt was very quiet. One kid asked Matt something about the draft....and I turned to look at him right when he said "it doesn't matter, I'll enlist, we've been attacked"....and his chin looked just like my father's....and my big brother's...strong and square and determined. Overwhelming fear and pride and that mother thing of love, I knew this boy had made a turning point in his life, and he would make his own decisions about his life.
so that's my memories of that day....and I felt great hope that those murderers who planned that day would be hunted down...had faith in my President to do the right thing, and of course, we all know how that is turning out. ( edit: Turned out: led to war in Iraq when the fight should have been focused on Afghanistan. Deaths of 4500 US military and unknown thousands of Iraqi civilians. End war.)