I won't try to articulate what this day means to me, as it is such a vital part of my memory that I cannot even fathom what it means to the families of the victims. My feelings are enough to bring me to tears even ten years later, so I would venture to say...their pain is infinitely worse.
I remember the time line of that morning as if it happened 10 minutes ago. I was in bed with my husband, and my oldest son, who was two and a half at the time, was asleep. My husband didn't need to get up early, because he didn't have to work until late morning, so we were sleeping in.
My phone rang. I ignored it, and it rang again. When it rang the third time, my answering machine picked up and I heard a girlfriends voice through the speaker. She was crying and told me that "something awful had happened, and to turn on the television", so I very groggily turned it on.
Every station was playing the same image. My husband and I froze, in our pajamas, in the middle of our living room. As we stared, the second plane hit the second WWT tower. I sat on the coffee table and cried, rubbing my huge belly. I was 7 months pregnant with my daughter. We sat there for the next two hours, watching the horrific events unfold. When my husband finally left for work (after which he was promptly sent home) I wept because I didn't want to be alone.
I distinctly remember holding my belly, and thinking, What the hell kind of world am I bringing a child into?
Sounds deep, eh? Yeah...it was. That was where my mind was that day.
I am thankful for my brother, who was a 20 year marine and continues to work for national security. I am thankful for the freedom my children have, and for the men & women who insure it. I am thankful for my old high school friend who lives every day of his life with images and memories of the pentagon from that day. I am thankful for my families safety and health, when so many aren't able to be thankful for that. And I am thankful for the atonement of Jesus Christ, without which I could not take solace that each victim killed that day will once again be with their family members.
I promise to never let my children forget what happened on 9/11, and to never allow myself to become numbed to the images. With numbness comes indifference, and I refuse to be indifferent.
Brooke Moss.
