The bad, obviously, is about what this day means to me on a large scale. I won't bore you with the details as to where I was, who I was with, and what I know about what happened September 11, 2001. We all have such stories and memories. I was blessed to not know anyone in the towers, planes, or Pentagon when it happened. I could have, it was a pretty scary couple of hours while we waited to make sure my dad was safe and still in our area of Virginia, but we went unscathed.
Except for the feeling of safety we always had, no matter how obscure it may have been. That was gone. Like those towers, it was smashed, burned, and left in a pile of dust at our feet, wondering what was to come next.
We all know what happened next. Our military went to a sandpit and fought to give us that security back. They signed a blank check to Uncle Sam and agreed that they would go to hell and back for him, if it was asked of them. And for many, it was.
My own husband signed that check, served 8 years in the Marines, spent 2 tours in Fallujah, Iraq, and came home with his own demons. September 11 may have happened while we were in highschool, but it changed us even after it had happened. It continues to change people. We can't run from it, we can't hide from it. And it isn't getting any better.
I won't let this day be forgotten. I will teach my children and grandchildren to respect today. I will show them the videos of that day, show them how it changed our lives, and make sure that they understand the price that has been paid and will always be paid for their safety. Our future is forever changed by this one moment and I will not let it be forgotten.
But the good, for me, is this - I married my best friend for a second time on September 11, 2010. Duff and I were married in a quick civil service in February and we had the chance to have our "big" church wedding with family and friends in September. I joke that I was quite the catch to be able to have him want to marry me twice in 1 year!
It was the best day in my life up to that point (we have had 2 kids since then, so their births became my best day) and it was perfect. It was comfortable outside, so the garden reception was perfect. I was sad that many of our friends had military obligations and were not able to make it last minute, but our family and friends were still there and it was perfect. Absolutely perfect because I got to say "I do" again.
Today is our 4 year anniversary. We are apart right now as I am in West Virginia and won't be back till tomorrow night, but I know that he is thinking about me like I am thinking of him. Distance means nothing when you love someone.
So while the world, and I, remember with sadness the lives lost and altered forever by terrorists, I will also enjoy this day as it is the (second) first day of the rest of my life.
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