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Sunday, September 11, 2011

Remembering 9/11

As you can see, it's been quite a while since I've blogged. I thought the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks was a great time to rekindle my blog.

Today is a somber day for those of us that lived through the attacks.  I, fortunately, was not directly affected and can only imagine what life has been like for those that were.  We, like most of the country, sat in awe as the images from New York, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. streamed across the tv and felt the fear and uncertainty what would come next.  I can still remember sitting at my desk, listening as the morning radio show crew learned of the attacks, turning the volume up as everyone in  the office huddled around and trying to use the web to find out more.

The web was still just a toddler in those days so information was difficult to track down.  We were able to see still images on the CNN site to drive home the description we were hearing on the radio.  Information was scattered and all over the map in those early hours and days.  None of us could fathom the magnitude of what was taking place or what would follow.

My kids were all young on 9/11/01.  Too young to really understand what had happened other than the fact that something had happened.  Because of this, my wife and I decided nine years ago to buy the 9/11 DVD made by Jules and Gegeon Naudet.  If you haven't watched this documentary, I suggest getting a copy.  I've yet to see a more compelling, truthful and downright riviting source of information on that day.  We watched it once and put it on the shelf.

Today my kids are 22, 20, 19, 18 and 14.  They are finally old enough to fully understand the events that day and I can think of nothing better than to remember and honor all of those that lost their lives that day then to bring my family together, significant others included, and watch the dvd once again.  We will have a nice dinner then gather in the family room to relive that day.  I'm sure we will spend a couple of hours afterwards answering questions and talking about the days that followed.

The bottom line is that we remember.  And after today my children will have a deeper understanding of a day that truly changed the world we all live in.

Peace.