I remember...

On September 11th, 2001 I was living in Paris, Texas. Macy was a day away from turning 4. I was a preschool teacher at the Mothers Day Out Program at First Baptist Church. My teaching buddy was Cheri Lewis! :) I was running late (as usual). My sister called..."turn on the TV." A plane just hit the World Trade Center....I turned on the TV and as I was watching it the other plane hit the other tower on live TV. It was shocking. Nauseating. Disturbing. My life was so weird at that time. I was "married" to Darin. Best friends with Chris... "Talking" to a doctor who lived in Oklahoma City who had been there when the Federal building in OKC was bombed...my Mom had just been diagnosed with cancer (again). It was this weird, weird time in my life.

So, I go to school. I think I was so young then...um....25...that I didn't get the seriousness of it. I was (and still am) so naive. I didn't get it. Parents started dropping of their kids crying. Cheri and I had this little radio that we were trying to pick up a signal on to listen to news reports. I caught a glimpse of pictures on the internet in the office. It was horrific. Parents were going to "stock up on gas." They were going to donate blood. It was eeary.

Less than a week later...my Mom was having surgery to remove a tumor in her ovary. All I could do was watch that TV in her room. She was out of it. It was on every channel 24 hours a day. I couldn't stop watching it. I was just so engrossed in it. It really affected me. I think that I was depressed after that. I was interested in a person that had lived through a bombing. He was a doctor and had been one of the first responders in OKC. He had so much insight that I didn't. I didn't know if my Mom was going to be okay...it was just an icky time for me personally. I didn't have anyone that could keep Macy for me that I completely trusted. My Grandma kept her some for me (but she was seriously mentally not okay), I didn't trust my sister completely, but I did trust a person that I had met only 4 months earlier...the man who is now my husband. Hhhmmm....God does interesting things doesn't he? He kept my Macy for me. He was a little weird about the bathing thing. So, he would make her go in there...bathe herself and lay her clothes out for her. Cheri can attest to the fact that he would bring Macy to preschool with her hair undone for Cheri to fix. I remember not being able to track him down one night. He had come to the hospital for Macy to visit and he left. I called my house over and over and over again waiting for him to get home with Macy. That was about 2 hours from the hospital that we were at in Dallas. I was about to drive the route to Paris when my sister finally got in touch with Chris. I was panicked. Where had he been? He had taken my Macy to Chuck E. Cheese. He said it was a toss up between that place and the McDonalds that looks like the Happy Meal. OMG!! I hate Chuck E. Cheese...I hate McDonalds and here was a person that was taking my daughter there just for fun. WOW

Looking back, that day amazes me. I still cry when I see the pictures and think of the lives lost. I think it is our generations Pearl Harbor. Where were you? Did it affect the way you live today? Are you a true patriot. Do you love your country???

Cheri-If you're reading this. I remember you in my life for so many different things...Your kids...your love of Christ...your testimony...your sweet husband and Tate who are truly miracles...your brother...your love of cherries and the Eiffel Tower...buf I remember you every September 11th because on that day WE were survivors...together...