Remembering When 9/11

 We seem to forget about things until the anniversary of the event and then it strikes us. Depending how it affected us usually depends on how we remember. Happy couples gladly remember their wedding anniversary. Parents remember children’s birthdays. What about the unhappy things though?

Today, many of us are remembering where we were eleven years ago. For most of us, it left us with a sense of dread. We did not know what was coming next. We were unsure when the attacks would stop and how our government would retaliate.

That is not what goes through my mind on this anniversary though. When I think back to 9/11/2001, I think of a life that was just shattered. A month prior, I found myself moving into my parents’ house with my two daughters separated from my ex-husband. Divorce papers were filed two weeks before that fateful day.

For me, 9/11 was a wakeup call. I could keep living in a pity-party state of mind, or I could get out there and live. It was not an instant wakeup call, but it was a wakeup call. My resolve formed that I wanted better for myself and for my children. I wanted my girls to have a strong mother that sought God.

Eleven years later, we are still a work in progress. Our family has tripled in size from my remarriage nine years ago and having babies. We are not perfect. I am a much stronger woman of God than I was eleven years ago.

How did 9/11 affect you?