Remembering 9/11

It's hard to believe that it's been 13 years since I sat in my cubical at the corporate office where I used to work, doing my job like it was just another day, when a co-worker stood up and said, 'you have to listen to this.' 

The entire office spent the rest of the day close to radios. Not much work got done, and there was a heaviness in the air that hadn't been there at the start of the morning. 

Even after 13 years I still remember how I felt as I listened to the commentary on the radio. It was a mixture of shock and overwhelming sadness. The world changed that day. Not just the United States, but the entire world.

There is a song by Alan Jackson that asks, "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?" That song makes me cry every time I hear it because it brings everything back as if it were still a raw memory and not something that happened 13 years ago.  

One of the things that came on the heels of 9/11 was a sense of American pride and also the need to be grateful for those we love. I think as we reflect on this day and what was taken from us, we also need to count the many blessings we have in our lives as well. Those people who woke up to go to work that day, or got on one of those plans that morning, had no idea their lives were going to be coming to an end. Let's be grateful for what we have and make sure we hug our loved ones a little closer today.