September 11

First off, still no baby. However, I was up at 1am last night with awful contractions. Right when I decided that I would get up and tell Ryan that it was time to go to the hospital, they decided to stop. I gave them ample time to start up again, but to no avail. This is getting really old.


Today is September 11. There have been a lot of memorable tragedies in the last 29 years... Columbine, the Oklahoma City Bombing, tsunamis and major earthquakes, but I don't remember what I was doing the days I heard about those tragedies. But when I think of 9/11... I know exactly what I was doing.

I was living in Old SAIT Residence and I had an exam to write that day. I woke up that morning to Power 98 (which no longer exists) with the DJ's telling everyone that this is the one and only time they'll say this: shut off the radio, and go turn on the TV. So I got out of bed, turned on the TV, and watched with devastation as the first tower began to fall live. I called my mom to find out exactly what happened, she told me everything and we watched as both towers fell. The rest of the day was a blur. We had to still write our exam, but the professor was very lenient with us and explained that she knew it would be hard to concentrate but we had to do this test. I think she even gave us answers so we could leave. Then we all went to the SAIT bar, sat down in the lounge, and watched the news for the rest of the afternoon. We cried, we sat in disbelief, we all changed. We went from people who never thought of mass murders or terrorism, to seeing firsthand what this world is truly capable of. We became cynical, prejudice, and racist all in a matter of 12 hours.

It's hard to think back and the instant hatred we all had for a group of people. That hatred has since dissipated and turned into pity for a country that thrives on hate and blaming others for their misfortune. But more than pity for them, there is a real fear. I pray everyday that my child (should she ever decide to be born!) never have the sense of fear I have that someone could use an airplane as a missile to murder thousands upon thousands of innocent human beings... or that we have to witness another act of frivolous terrorism.

It has been 9 years since two airplanes flew into the World Trade Center in New York City. It has been 9 years since all of our lives have been changed by one act of terrorism. It has been 9 years since people lost family, friends, co-workers. It has been 9 years since something as tragic as this has happened.

I love country music, but I tend to not like Alan Jackson. But this song just moves me. It's not the best video, but it really depicts what happened that day. To all those who lost their lives and loved ones, we will never forget.