Remembering 9/11

As I stitched airplane fabric into a charity quilt, I could not help but recall the events of that awful day 10 years ago involving hijacked jetliners.  It was not our habit to watch television in the mornings so it was a neighbor who called to tell us what was happening.  We watched as the north tower burned and newscasters relayed what little information was available.  The kids left for school and Grant for work.  I happened to be off work that day on vacation and spent it watching in horror and disbelief, as did the rest of the country and world, as the second tower was hit and then both fell, the Pentagon was struck and burning, and the obliterated wreckage of Flight 93 was shown, followed by the sickening images of extremists in Iraq celebrating.  The safety of our country as we knew it changed forever that day.  But not the American spirit.  People lined up to give blood, money, comfort, any aid they could.  Rescue crews from all over the nation immediately headed to help.  The stories of those lost began to be told, the heroes honored, and survivors cherished.  America received the support from its many friends around the world, and was grateful.  Many non-Americans were killed in these attacks, but we felt they were "us" and not "them" and treated them as our own.  September 11, 2001 will forever be remembered and marked as a dark day for all nations.  People everywhere should fight extremists of every kind, foreign or domestic, for they are the true evil in the world.  We are one race, the human race, and live only on one world, Earth.  Let us never forget that.