9/11 Remembered...

Has there ever been a time in your life when you remember exactly where you were, what you were doing, and what you were thinking?

September 11th will always be one of those days for me...I was away at school just leaving the house to get to class. Everything seemed normal, and up until that point everything was normal...cool, clear, autumn day, with blue skies.  I remember the exact minute I walked into the building that my class was in...silence.  Five teachers were gathered around talking..."What the hell is going on?" I heard one of them say...At that time I was clueless to what had just happened, but in only a matter of minutes I would find out.

About a minute after I over heard that group of teachers there was an announcement over an old intercom system that said, "class's are canceled for the rest of the week, please call your professors to find out when they resume.",  I remember thinking, this is great no class for the rest of the week...

As I walked down the corridor into the main lobby there was a TV on with CNN tuned in...

That excitement I had just had was gone...  I had seen the first tower on fire and thousands of people running.  That excitement running through me only seconds ago had turned into complete and utter fear and anger.  

I have often times heard older folks talk about the JFK assassination or Pearl Harbor... this was one of those moments.

Nine years after the attacks by radical Muslims on the US, there are now competing attacks, of a different kind, on the memory of this day. 

This year, in particular, the dueling media events of adding a place of prayer for Muslims at their existing 20-year old community center near Ground Zero. The nut-job in Florida with his tiny congregation of firebrands who have caused more trouble with just threatening to burn Qurans today. It's like we have forgotten the innocent victims of 9/11, it's disheartening, and making this sad day even more sad.  

Nine years ago, was much like today: a cool, clear, autumn day, with blue skies, nothing but blue skies. There is a magic that frames the day: seemingly every September 11 is a copy of that day. Always a light breeze, an aura in the air.

Today belongs to the memory of those we lost, let's not ruin it (like we do so many other things).  

Last night a chill came over me, a tear formed in eye, and I watched a few tributes to 9/11... it really hits you (try it:).  

For me,  This day always reminds me of how great it is to be an American.  It also reminds me to always be thankful for what I have and the family that is with us.  

I will always remember this day and every September 11th, I will be praying for those kids that lost their moms and dads, the husbands and wives, the firefighters, the police officers, the troops that protect us, the business professionals, the pilots... The HEROES.

out...Cundiff