9/11

So, the first thing I thought of when I woke up this morning was about the World Cup soccer match between the U.S. and North Korea. I've been counting down the days to 9-10 for about the past 2 months and now it's finally here.
As I sat and watched the game with rapt attention, I had a clear flashback to six years ago - sitting in front of the television on another Tuesday morning. I'm sure everyone can remember where they were when they first heard of the attacks. I was driving home from the temple in S.L. at about 7:00 a.m. and heard on the radio that a plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers. Picturing in my mind a small private plane gone off course, I hurried home to see if any news stations might be covering the crash. When I realized the seriousness of the situation, I called for Brad to come see. It was about this time that the second plane hit. We watched and listened horrified as we heard reports of the Pentagon being hit as well as the downed plane in Pennsylvania.
Six years later, I still have a difficult time wrapping my brain around the events of 9/11/01. We have visited Ground Zero a couple times since. The first time was a few months after the attacks. I remember directing my brother and parents to the site and, when my dad asked which street it was on, I realized that I had always used the towers as my guide. I had no children in 2001 and it will be years before mine hear about those events with any kind of understanding or sympathy. I don't really know if I have a point to all of this beyond just remembering and honoring the victims and heroes of that day. We live in a great country - flawed, no doubt, but great nevertheless. I just want to voice my gratitude today for all of our freedoms and opportunities - we are blessed!