that september day

"Where were you when the world stopped turning, that September day?"

I was on the school bus headed to fifth grade.

Andrew Newman got on the bus and said something about the World Trade Centers, airplanes, and that it was all over the news.

I sure didn't know what the World Trade Centers were, and it sounded just like any other piece of news to my little fifth grade mind so I just shrugged my shoulders and wondered who I would play with at recess.

When we got to school, I walked up the steps to my classroom and noticed that T.V.'s were on in almost every classroom. When i got settled at my desk and was just waiting for the bell to ring, someone mentioned that they were going to Mr. Mackay's class to watch the news.

I thought, "Why not?" and tagged along.

When I walked into the classroom everyone was glued to the T.V. including several teachers.

When I finally clued in, I looked up to see two gigantic buildings billowing smoke.

I tried to piece the story together little by little, and finally my teacher, Mrs. Barzee, made us all go back to our classroom so we could have a normal day. She described to us all the events of the morning and I was surprised, but New York was an awful long ways away and since there was no real threat to me in my fifth grade classroom, I listened intently but was still able to go about my day with the attacks pushed far in the back of my mind.

I just didn't get it.

A year later, I had grown up a little bit, and on the year anniversary of September 11th, I sat by myself in our basement watching the reruns of the attacks. I stayed up way past my bedtime staring mesmerized at the images they were showing, images that I hadn't paid much attention to the year before.

New York didn't seem so far away then, and I was starting to see.

This week I have been spending inordinate amounts of my time in the tractor. I took some of Kolton's advice and have been listening to talk radio all week for a break from the music radio. On the Sean Hannity radio program, he had a guest filling in for him named Rose Tennet.

She talked about the memorial services for the tenth anniversary of September 11th and I was enthralled as I listened to her speak.

She talked about her reaction to the attack on our country and how she hadn't been able to get the images and fear out of her mind. She told stories of the heroes of that day and the days after who rescued people and who helped to give the rest of the country hope.

As I listened to her speak, ten years after the attacks, something clicked.

And I finally got it.

And it left me driving my tractor around the field choking back tears.

I have spent the last ten years watching footage on the TV once a year and occasionally thinking about what a great impact this event had on our country. I wasn't so naiive that I didn't notice the outpouring of love and compassion everybody showed to everybody.

But I still didn't understand how these attacks affected me. I didn't know anybody there, it was clear across the country, and I just saw it as someone else's problem.

But this week, starting with Rose Tennet, and many other radio talk show hosts discussing September 11, I've realized that as an American, these acts were aimed towards me and towards all other Americans, not just those directly affected.

And it made me think about America's response and how underneath all the labels, all the stereotypes, we are all just Americans.

And as Americans, it is our duty to preserve the land of the free and the home of the brave.

I am so grateful to live in this country, and I'm especially grateful for all those that have fought and sacrificed to make it the place it is today.
God bless the USA