Where were you?

Is there anyone who won't remember September 11th for the rest of their lives? Where were YOU? If you're like me, you can remember everything about that day...where you were when the towers were hit...what you were doing....and how you felt the rest of the day...every minute ticking by slowly...walking around in a "fog"...going through a wide range of emotion from sadness to anger. I was at work...I hadn't been there very long when one of my co-workers called back to my desk and told me that 2 planes had flown into the twin towers....and at that time, they were trying to determine if it was an accident or an attack...I remember calling Vicki at her job to see if she had heard...I turned on my radio in my office to see if there had been any new updates on what was happening....I remember being extremely upset and really didn't know why at that time because everyone was still waiting to hear what was really going on.....I worked at a garden center at the time....a beautiful place full of plants, flowers, trees....all natural beauty...and our staff was very close knit...we were a family...so if I couldn't be at home with my own family, this was the next best place to be. It didn't take long for the news to travel and we found out that this was NOT an accident...this was an attack....soon after we found out about the other attacks as well on the Pentagon and the plane in Pennsylvania that went down. I remember that by this time, no one felt like working...everyone was calling their families and making sure that they were ok.....I called my daughter Kasey at school and asked her if she wanted to come home and she did...so I left work to pick up Kasey and then I had to go back to work. I felt safer having her home. I called my daughter, Kim in Findlay and made sure that she was ok, and she was. By the time I returned to work, one of the managers had gone home to pick up a television and he put it up at one of the cash registers for employees and shoppers to see...the only shoppers we had were ones who had not heard the news of the attacks...why we stayed open is beyond me! No one did anything that day...we all just stood and watched the horror before our eyes on that television set...and all we wanted to do was go home and be with our own families. In the days and weeks that followed, we watched the nation come together...everyone attended prayer services...everyone was nicer to strangers on the street....appreciating each other more...hugging their children a little tighter...holding them little longer...smiling a little more....going out of their way to help with care packages to the troops...or sending financial help to those people who were involved in the attacks in new york, washington, and pennsylvania. We all came together as a nation and it was a beautiful thing to see. But, like everything else....that passed...slowly but surely, life went back to "normal". Now, sadly, the only time we remember to be a little bit nicer and appreciate life is on the anniversary of September 11th. My oldest daughter reminded me that even the troops aren't getting the "care packages" like they used to from complete strangers that just did it in support of the troops and out of the kindness of their hearts. I'm just as guilty as anyone out there! We all got back into the routine of life after 9/11 and it's not that we don't still care....we just don't MAKE the time to do things that we should. So, my goal, in honor of this horrible anniversary is to MAKE the time to send care packages to the troops throughout the year...and, from time to time...to stop and say a prayer for ALL who have lost family members and friends in this horrible disaster...I don't care how long it has been...the wounds are still fresh, and I don't think that will ever go away. So, remember where you were on that September day and make a goal for yourself to do something nice more often out of the kindness of your heart...it doesn't matter how little a task it is...the point is to be more giving to others...and maybe, just maybe, the nation will unite again. Take a moment to remember all that have been lost.....and take a moment to be thankful for everyone in your life............

Until next time........

Looking back.....

A few weeks ago, my oldest daughter and I (and Kyle) went to McComb to the community garage sale. McComb is where I grew up from 2nd grade until the beginning of my 9th grade year. With the exception of my daughter's wedding, I hadn't been back to McComb in quite some time. So, as we were walking and driving around McComb to look for bargains (of which we found many!), it brought back a lot of fond memories of my younger days. As we were walking, I was pointing out to Kim where I used to live...where my best friend lived down the street...where the high school principal lived...where I took piano lessons...etc, etc, etc! It truly was a stroll down memory lane and it made me realize what a simple time in life it was. McComb is a small community where everyone knows each other. But I can remember my growing up years in that town as if it were yesterday. I remember my best friend coming to my house in the summer to watch "The Young & Restless" every day...and as soon as it was over, we'd get on our bikes and go to the pool for the rest of the day! I can remember on rainy days, Paula coming to my house or I'd go down to her house to play Barbies all day long. I can remember playing baseball in my back yard with various friends and we'd pretend that we were the Cincinnati Reds! I can remember going up to the school and playing basketball with 7 other boys (yes, I was the only girl)...and we'd play all day long until dark. I can remember walking home from piano lessons at Christmas time and seeing all the Christmas lights shining through the windows of each house that I passed by. I remember our house at Christmas time and my mom would put electric candles in each window and the bulbs were blue. I loved the way those candles looked in our windows and I loved walking up to the house and seeing the Christmas tree lights through the window. I can remember when it snowed, playing outside until my mom would force me to come inside. She always used to say that I was so healthy because I played outside all the time...even in the winter. I remember an elderly couple living across the street from us and I'd go over there every night to watch "Truth or Consequences" with them, or we'd play dominoes. Simple times....full of such fond memories. Oh, to go back to those simpler days! It would be so nice...no worries...just good times.....but I'll always have those memories to fall back on and they will always bring a smile to my face.

Until next time............