Then and Now

September 11, 2001

That morning we woke up to a normal sunny fall day. The kids were getting ready for school - Jack Jr had just begun 5th grade and Sami was officially a 1st grader. I took them to school as usual and headed off to my job as a technical writer at Enterprise Rent-a-Car. I turned on the radio to listen to my favorite country music station, only to hear that a plane crashed into one of the towers in New York. I thought, "oh my word, what a horrible accident."

That was the last moment of our innocence. 

When the second plane hit the other tower, everyone knew - this was no accident. The reality of it was incomprehensible. Who could do this and why?

I arrived at work to see everyone else in a state of shock. No one could concentrate. All of us, as well as the rest of the world, were scrambling to get more details from the Internet. The Internet was jammed from all the traffic.

More tragic news came in about the Pentagon and the plane crashing in Pennsylvania. It seemed the world was coming to an end and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I was thankful the kids were safe at school and sheltered from the horrors that were unfolding that day. I knew I was going to have to explain it to them that night, but I had time to figure out what I was going to say, or so I thought.

September 11, 2011

My son is now 20 and in college studying computer engineering. My daughter is 16, a junior in high school and the captain of the color guard squad.

Sami saw the Pentagon Memorial when Ritenour's band visited Washington DC on Memorial Day weekend. She said it was a beautiful tribute to those who died that day. Jack still looks at the planes flying across the skies and continues to hope those planes don't become weapons again.

These kids were so young when the world came to a crashing end. Our world will never be the same again, but we can only hope that these young people will make the world a safer and better place for their children. I believe that would be the best way to honor those who perished ten years ago today.

God Bless us all.

A Memorable Memorial Day

Memorial Day is, indeed, a special day set aside to remember those who have sacrificed so much so that we can be free. We honor those with parades, special tributes and ceremonies. Years ago, my young son participated with his Cub Scout troop in placing flags on the solders' graves at Jefferson Barracks Cemetery. This had particular meaning to him because his grandfather (my father) was buried there. We don't know if Jack put a flag on his grandpa's grave or not, but I'm sure my dad would have counted it as so.

This year, my daughter, Sami, participated along with the Ritenour High School Color Guard and Marching Band, in the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, DC. To say this was a once in a lifetime opportunity is an understatement. Each of the kids scraped and sweated to earn every dime to pay for the trip. Some of these kids are seniors and had just celebrated their graduation ceremony last week. This trip also represented Sami's first ever trip out of state. I wanted so badly to come with her, but I couldn't come up with the money to pay for both of us. It was all she could do to earn the money for herself.

Ritenour High School Marching Band was invited to participate in the National Memorial Day Parade by Missouri Representative Lacy Clay. That by itself is pretty impressive. What I found out tonight was that Ritenour beat out about 15 other Missouri schools for this incredible honor. Not only that, Ritenour represented ALL of Missouri - no other Missouri schools were in the parade. Ritenour students showed their state and school pride by putting on an awesome performance for the whole country to see.

I'm so proud of all of them, and especially, of Sami. Great job guys!

Somebody Stop the World - I Want to Get Off Here!

 

I don't know about everyone else, but my head has been spinning for about three weeks and it doesn't look like it will be stopping very soon. Coming up with blog topics and timely ones has been a challenge. It's certainly not for lack of material. Here we go:

The world has witnessed a royal wedding with it's share of controversy (a lavish royal wedding in the middle of a severe economic recession), the queen's two granddaughters showing all of us that even royals can only have taste in their mouths, and lots of reminiscing over the Prince's late mother's wedding. My personal opinion on the whole thing is this - quit your complaining already. The wedding was rather played down compared to Charles and Diana's wedding some 30 years ago. Kate's dress was spot-on as far as I was concerned. Princess Beatrice and her sister, Princess Eugenie, showed the world expensive tastelessness. They were probably irked because Mum wasn't invited the the nuptials and decided to be the tacky relations. Get over it - we all have people like that in our families.

Then there's Osama bin Laden. Frankly, I'm glad this monster is dead. Am I morally conflicted over feeling happiness over his demise? Not really. He didn't lose any sleep over killing 3,000 innocent Americans who were no threat to him. He was clearly a threat to the rest of the world. Fail to see a problem here. However, if I have to endure another analysis of his life, his favorite videos, or his favorite sub-machine gun, I swear I'm going to scream. The monster is dead - let's move on.

Now, my personal life has been even more eventful. In a matter of days, we celebrated mine and my husband's 21st wedding anniversary, my son's 20th birthday, Mother's Day, Valley of the Flowers Parade in which Ritenour Color Guard marched, and my 49th birthday. In the middle of all this "happiness," however, we also lost my only living uncle. He was 87 when he died. Emotional rollercoaster? You could say that. The agenda isn't finished yet. My son just had his final exams, my daughter is preparing for her final exams and practicing for the National Memorial Day march in Washington DC in just two weeks.

With all of this going on, I really haven't had a chance to absorb anything. Even my daughter told me today that she still hasn't had a moment to mourn her great-uncle's death.

This is sad. The world really needs to slow down a bit so we can get off.

My Ramblings on Free Speech, Politics, and Responsibility

Yesterday at a Tuscon supermarket, Arizona Democratic Representative Gabrielle Giffords was shot while speaking to the public about her efforts to serve them in Congress. Twenty people were injured and six were killed in an unspeakable shooting rampage by what appears to be a mentally unstable man, Jared Loughner. A 9-year-old child who was developing an interest in politics was among those killed. The irony of her death is that she was born on 9/11/01. The question a lot of people are asking, is why?

There is some debate on whether the hostile political rhetoric that has been making headlines could be partly to blame. Sarah Palin's website with gunsights on a map of areas she wanted to take aim at changing is especially scary and, no doubt, a public relations nightmare for the Palin camp.

Political vitriol is nothing new in this country. Our history books tell us many stories about brawls in the Senate and duels between politicians. Early 19th century American history was rife with angry discord over states' rights, slavery, a national bank, and foreign affairs. Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and Andrew Jackson were all political figures who drew fire and made their own fire during their time in office. However, we are modern day America now. Bloody Island is merely a historic footnote and our senators and representatives, supposedly, know better than to start fist fights while in office.

Free speech is a wonderful thing and should be fiercely protected. However, with all freedoms, comes responsibility. Sarah Palin could have made her point just as effectively by not giving her stamp of approval on the graphic image of gun sights on a map of districts she wanted to change. Push pins, American flags, butterflies, whatever. But no, she chose something very dramatic, disturbing and implied violence. I am not saying Palin is directly responsible for Loughner's actions. No, Loughner made his decisions based on whatever logic he was using at the time.

Americans are angry right now. We are all hurting. But our political leaders, locally and nationally, need to bear in mind that words have impact and we need to be responsible for them. I am begging our public servants to please do what you are supposed to be doing - representing the people and our country. Shootouts in Tuscon are not the answer. But blockading policies that may possibly help our country just because you can isn't an answer either.

Frankly, Palin and the Tea Party have always scared me. Her ability to whip people in to a froth is both frightening and borderline illegal. It is illegal in this country to incite riots. Palin can stand up and say whatever she wants - that's protected speech. But getting the public riled up is quite another. I really believe she is not directly responsible for this shooting, but I also hope that her political future is toast after this.