September 11, 2001

‎9 years ago today, I stood with my 5 year old daughter Kelly on the blacktop at Del Mar Elementary School. Johnny was in his snuggie barely 6 months old, still sleepy and all bundled up. Laine, 2, was in the stroller and Joe was holding on my hand. the sky was a brilliant blue and the flag against the sky was so beautiful. As was the custom at Del Mar, when the bell rang, everyone together recited the pledge of allegiance. That morning it seemed every parent had come with their child. None of us could hold back the tears completely. That early in the morning, no one was sure what exactly had happened. All we knew was that our nation was under attack.

I tried to keep the TV off for much of the day time, so the kids would not have excessive stress, but at night, I couldn't tear myself away from the human drama unfolding. My heart was deeply sorrowed over what was happening. Any patriotic song could set tears rolling down my face. I was alone and frightened. Prayer became ever more important to me as I learned to rely on God's grace to get me through each day.

Patrick was traveling out of state on an extended multi-state sales trip. It was his phone call to me that alerted me to what was happening. I was managing the household and worrying over his safety. In the days following the attacks, everyone was a bit nervous and were concerned about other types of attacks occurring. Through an open window one night, I smelled chemical fumes. I was very concerned. I closed the windows and called the Sheriff. They determined that a neighbor had been using a chemical pesticide outdoors.

Since September 11th, I have found that my country and defending my country have meant so much more to me. Reciting the pledge of allegiance that day stays in my heart today. I have also been more inclined to be active politically, and I try to stay involved. I fear too many people who live here don't see the precious gift we have in America, our freedoms truly granted by God, together with all the resourcefulness of this great nation. Too many people are becoming dependent on the government to take care of them, and as they forsake their ability to choose their own life, they also forsake what made this country great. In the current political climate, there is increasingly more divisiveness and hatred being promulgated at all levels, particularly in the media.

When are we going to permanently learn the lesson we partly experienced that terrible September day and in the weeks following? It is in loving and supporting one another; being individually resourceful and self-reliant; returning to morality as a basis for our nation; recognizing the gift of freedom that we have and wanting others to have it, too; reaching out to help others with a hand up, not a hand out; in being one nation, regardless of skin color, religion, or political party; until these lessons are embedded in our hearts, our nation, like those towers, can fall down around us.

Every year I remember those who died from the attacks on September 11th by flying my flag. I think I'll do that every year until I die. It was a defining moment (perhaps even THE defining moment) in my life when I realized how truly tenuous our hold is on everything that is good, and flying my flag on that day pledges my allegiance not only to my country, but to the God that guided her establishment. May God bless those families who lost loved ones that day, and may God bless America.