September 10, 2001
With the five year anniversary of September 11th tomorrow and all the sadness and reflection that brings, I've been thinking about how things were five years ago today. We were a day away from events that would change our lives and our world forever.
On that day, we couldn't comprehend that someone could attack us on our soil. In fact, the idea of anyone or anything attacking anywhere in North America was so foreign, we couldn't comprehend it; we were invincible. Wars, attacks and terrorists were things that happened somewhere else and to someone else. Signing up for the military was a great way to pay for college and fire fighters and police officers were great jobs but not really respected by all. We knew family and friends were important, but somehow in the day to day world, we thought work and getting ahead were important at the moment and we could focus on the other things later.
Five years later, we have changed so much. Sure things have settled back into a new normal, but really that's a "normal" that is much different than before. We allow almost anyone and everyone to inspect our bags, check our pockets, restrict our luggage all in the name of safety and for the most part no one complains. We walk around in airports in our barefeet or socks so they can check our shoes for bombs. It's all so different. Yet in many ways we are better for the tragedy we have gone through. Somehow it made us realize what is really important in life. At the end of the day, you realize it's friends, family, relationships and even your faith that means the most. Your job, house, car and toys are great but really only secondary because if that's all you had left in this world, it really wouldn't be much at all. As we look back tomorrow and remember, let's also reflect on what we have learned that we shouldn't forget.
On that day, we couldn't comprehend that someone could attack us on our soil. In fact, the idea of anyone or anything attacking anywhere in North America was so foreign, we couldn't comprehend it; we were invincible. Wars, attacks and terrorists were things that happened somewhere else and to someone else. Signing up for the military was a great way to pay for college and fire fighters and police officers were great jobs but not really respected by all. We knew family and friends were important, but somehow in the day to day world, we thought work and getting ahead were important at the moment and we could focus on the other things later.
Five years later, we have changed so much. Sure things have settled back into a new normal, but really that's a "normal" that is much different than before. We allow almost anyone and everyone to inspect our bags, check our pockets, restrict our luggage all in the name of safety and for the most part no one complains. We walk around in airports in our barefeet or socks so they can check our shoes for bombs. It's all so different. Yet in many ways we are better for the tragedy we have gone through. Somehow it made us realize what is really important in life. At the end of the day, you realize it's friends, family, relationships and even your faith that means the most. Your job, house, car and toys are great but really only secondary because if that's all you had left in this world, it really wouldn't be much at all. As we look back tomorrow and remember, let's also reflect on what we have learned that we shouldn't forget.
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