Thankful Thursday

This is more of a flashback, but since it's Thursday, it's been given a new name. This morning on the way to school, Kye told his carpool that all the flags were out in the yards "because our country got blown up. . . or, well, part of it." On Sept. 11, 2001, we lived in AZ and I was just getting Lucy some breakfast when my MIL called me and told me to turn on the news. I turned it on and had it on for the rest of the day. My sister, KT, and her family lived in Brooklyn, and both her and her husband worked in Manhattan. My brother Matt also lived in NYC. (KT's BIL was a securtity guard at the Pentagon, as well.) I was worried about them, but really felt like they were okay. None of them worked in the World Trade Center, though KT's office wasn't too far away. KT and her hubby watched from across the river. Matt was stuck in the subway for a long time and finally got out somewhere close to the WTC. He could see people jumping out of the windows.

Zach was in UT on business, and couldn't get a flight out, because they had grounded all the planes. He ended up getting one of the last rental cars available at the airport and driving home. My MIL and all of my SIL's were planning a girls' trip to NYC--we were supposed to have gone about 10 days later. We cancelled it, but I decided to go ahead and go a few weeks later to spend some time with KT. The flight Lucy and I took was empty, as were the streets of New York. We went to the WTC site, and it was eerie, especially because signs looking for loved ones were still posted all around.

It's been awhile since I've thought about 9/11. How quickly we forget and become complacent. Once upon a time when I was thinking of getting a master's in American Studies, I wanted to do my thesis on the "pride cycle" in American history, though it would probably have had to be named something else. Maybe someday . . . . Okay, flashback complete. Continue on with your day.