Where Were You?

Ten years... ten years ago seems like an eternity... and at the same time I can remember that day like it was just yesterday.


I had just returned from my grandma's funeral... boarding a flight just a few days earlier which took us from Chicago to Orlando.  It was my second day back at work and a co-worker, who started work at 9:00, came in and told us a plane had flown into the World Trade Center.  My first response was "Yeah, right."  To me, it sounded too odd to be true...like some internet hoax people put out there to spur panic.  But, in fact, by the time I put the radio on, I found out that not only was that true... another plane had now hit the other tower.

I was naive... had no idea why anyone would want to do this to innocent people.... still had no idea who Bin Laden even was.  


On my lunch hour I picked up C.J. and Jon from their school across the street.  They were in lock down mode and parents drifted in intermittently to grab their children.  Looking back, I know the boys were very safe there and I am not very sure why I picked them up early.  I think most people just wanted to be around their family that day.


Over the next two days the skies in Central Florida opened up as a tropical storm hovered over us creating gray, dreary skies that mirrored our moods, and heavy rain that produced flooding.


By Saturday we decided to head over to Epcot Center in Orlando to escape the never ending rain that was hovering over our ocean town.  As we passed the American pavilion in World Showcase, there was a choir singing patriotic songs.  Now, this was not unusual... we had annual passes and were at Epcot A LOT... we saw these singers before... most people would walk by without stopping... but not on this day.  On this day people stopped... people listened...people hugged...people cried....I cried.  


I experienced a renewed Patriotism.  I became very proud of being an American.  I, along with my fellow countrymen, felt that we would not let this destroy us.  


And while we will NEVER forget that day... and we will always honor those innocent people who lost their lives that day... we will not let the events of September 11, 2001 define who we are as a country.