Almost ten years ago, it was a different world for my family. Today, it's a different world because of a terrorist that changed everything for everyone on earth.
As I was watching the news last night of the shooting death of Osama Bin Laden, it struck me how many of the young people rejoicing were about my daughters age. The Park across from the White House was filled with college students. Time Square, Ground Zero, quickly filled up with young people and people who had experienced the events first hand.
I watched mesmorized, and tried to count back the years. These kids were in 3rd, 4th, 5th -middle school grades when this event took place? What they must feel? So many of them watched brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers, then later their school mates off to the military or guard to serve their country. It consumed the last ten years of their young lives. News pundits paralleled it to the same rejoicing that occurred after WWII.
Probably.
I remember 9/11 clearly, because I wanted so much to keep a normal face on what was happening that morning. It was school picture day, and I was desperately trying to get my 3rd grade daughter ready for school, trying to agree on an outfit of choice, hair arranging, which escalated into an argument between us in the bathroom during the whole time the third plane struck the Pentagon in Washington D.C. I wanted to turn off the TV, but I couldn't. She was obviously affected by my freaked out state, and we could not get on the same page that morning. I couldn't tell you about the other school picture day mornings, but that one- is as vivid a memory as something that happened yesterday.
I just kept wondering, what is today going to be like? Should I send her to school? I wondered what her day would be like, because my day was wasted and those of us at work that day were zombies, numbly doing our tasks, which seemed important- but really was not.
The following weeks I was numb. I tried to keep things normal, and not watch coverage. But it was hard not to be drawn into the whole thing. I think I cried every day for a week. But I knew that that day, that man would change the lives of these young children forever. Our kids had their innocence taken away. Our nation was changed forever. Whether the kids knew it or not, parents everywhere had their guard up. Mail was suspect, shopping malls and big city plaza's were not as safe as they once were, even Disneyland was re-done to move cars and traffic away from the main gates. Travel was different. The following summer, my blue eyed blonde daughter was pulled from the airport gate at Minneapolis and "wanded", as we watched horrified. For years, they were involved in school programs and activities to commemorate patriotism and support the troops. They were in it from the get go.
No wonder these kids were screaming USA USA USA last night. In a way, these kids won a little bit of their childhood back.
I remember coming to work that morning. I think you and I were the only ones who knew that Osama bin Laden was behind the attacks. A few of our co-workers didn't even know who he was. That changed quickly. I feel a great sense of relief that his wicked life has ended. This is a GOOD day:)
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