Never forget....

Today is a sad day for me as I'm sure it is for so many people. A day I will never forget. I cried on my way to work today like I have every year since this fateful day 7 years ago. I remember so clearly being on the highway just a few minutes away from work and hearing the news flash saying there was a hole in the side of the world trade center and it was unclear what had happened but that possibly a small plane had crashed into the building. What I didn't know at that moment was that just a few minutes after arriving at work the second plane would crash into the other tower making it very clear that this was very likely a terrorist attack. I didn't know that a little more than an hour later as many of us sat crowded into a conference room at work watching the coverage that we would receive a call from our main office building confirming that 7 of our associates were on that first plane. My heart still aches when I recall that announcement and how I felt at that moment. Stunned, angry, confused, afraid and such a deep deep sadness....so many feelings rushing through me. All I wanted to do was be home hugging my children.

We've all seen this photo below so many times...too many times maybe. When I look at that cloud of smoke I see the 7 vibrant women whose smiling faces look back at me every morning from the memorial plaque in the lobby of my building. One who was from my systems division, one who was one of my boss' closest friends and one who was a mentor to me for a short while in my prior job when I was struggling to understand my training track without having a breakdown. Her beautiful smile haunts me the most. Although I really appreciated her help with my job confusion...I really didn't know her all that well. But when I see that smile I think of her son who was in the company daycare the same time as my son...he was a beautiful child and he lost him mom when he was only 4 years old. That is just so wrong. And much as I dislike this photo, I still look at it every year (at least once) because I feel that it helps me to remember that huge tragedy and to never forget how many people lost their lives or their loved ones that day. It also serves to remind me how much I love this country and the people who serve it to try to make it a safer free country for us. Not just our military, but our firefighters, police officers, red cross volunteers..the list goes on & on.


One person I'm especially very proud of is this beautiful sailor in the layout below.(of course I'm also very proud of the handsome boy at her side too) Thankfully she has not been to Iraq....but she tells me it is very likely that she will have to spend some time in that area eventually. I dread the day I get that news from her...my heart sinks just thinking about it.

I'll end this rambling post with this beautiful photo below. I didn't take it but it is too beautiful not to share.