September 11th

I was so busy getting ready for our annual conference--the signature event of my organization--that I almost forgot it was September 11th. I had thought about it first thing in the morning. I meant to wear a pin with red, white, and blue ribbons on it that a colleague made for all of us in the office 6 years ago. Ironically, that was the first year I worked where I am now and we were preparing for conference when the Twin Towers were hit. Then, I went off to graduate school for 4 years and now I am back at the same place I left--albeit in a different position. However, my colleague has been there the entire time. Of course, I forgot to wear the pin. Then, I thought about September 11th again in the afternoon. She (my colleague) told me that she had never watched any of the video footage of that day--the thought of it was just too hard. I told her that to me, the images of the planes flying into the Twin Towers was surreal. What really got me was seeing the videos of New Yorkers streaming down the street in confusion and terror with dust and debris all around them. We are spending Christmas in NYC with my stepson who lives a few blocks from where the World Trade Center used to be. I am angry and dismayed that 6 years later, Osama Bin Laden is still free, but we have made a mess of Iraq!

My mom just sent me this quote. I must try to remember this more often: "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."

Take care.