September 15th, four days after the terrorist attacks on the United States, I remained fixed in front of the television unable to fully comprehend what was in front of my eyes.
The Tall Blonde was nine, Spiderman three…Bones just one.
My home, a place of much comfort, was like every other…taken over by grief, shock and total dismay for the future as one horrific scene after the next played out before us.
The Tall Blonde had taught Spiderman, not that long before, to build a “tall man.” He’d stack the Lego building blocks as high as he could reach, often standing on the trunk we used as a coffee table to get it even taller, then place the smiling Lego man on top…seeing just how tall of a “man” he could make.
Four days after the terrorist attacks, as I cooked supper…the TV showing the cleanup and horror from the events four days before along with remarkable stories of survival…I smiled as Spiderman made the tallest man he could. Life in my home was sweet. While shaken, I was content that my children were safe…this attack was far from my door. Then, never seeing it coming, before placing the little man on top of his structure, Spiderman took a tiny toy airplane and knocked the tower down.
I screamed, turned off the TV and wrapped him in my arms with the knowledge that I’d been wrong. This attack was in no way far from my door…our safety and comfort were shaken to the very core.
The events of September 11th changed us all. Each of us see the world differently than we had before. None of us take for granted our safety and we no longer believe it could “never happen to us.” Our resolve to live our best lives…live each day telling our loved ones how special they are…became stronger that day. Today, ten years after the attacks on the United States, it’s a reminder of how fragile we are, how wonderful life is and how important it is to live each day to the fullest…for those who never had the chance.