Final Thoughts Tonight

I posted this as a comment over at Mile High Mama's but thought I would share it here, as well..
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I, too, was watching Matt and Katie on the Today Show when it started to unravel. I remember that beautiful blue sky .. then tragedy.

Tonight my husband and I sit here watching that morning unfold on the History Channel. Once again, I’m choking back tears.. it is still so raw.

Less than a month after 9/11, Bren and I went to Hawaii (the trip was planned preattack). Our little world had already changed forever. The security was unbelievable, armed military everywhere and everyone was on edge. I had more than one cocktail on my flight from Denver to Los Angeles. When I arrived at LAX (where she lives) we were bussed miles from the terminal to a highly secured parking lot. It was nighttime, massive flood lights lit the entire area and a huge crowd of people –waiting to pick up new arrivals– mingled about. For anyone that isn’t a rock star used to fans waiting for them to get off their tour bus, it was totally surreal. Our naive, safe bubble-life as we once knew it was over.

We visited Pearl Harbor while there. In a couple of months they were commemorating the 60th Anniversary of their attack. Sadly, I didn’t know much more about it than what I vaguely read in history books (or had seen in the block buster movie by the same name) but, as I stood at the memorial over the USS Arizona, I was still moved to sobbing tears. What brave souls they were. Totally blindsided.. it had an all too familiar feel.

I hope we preserve the memories of our fallen heroes, of our fellow Americans that didn’t come home and of their loved ones left behind to try to pick up the pieces. I know we will never forget.. but let’s make darn sure our children’s children don’t either.