remembering 10 years ago

mark and i were newly married, living in alexandria, va

i had stayed home from work because i was sick

the weather was perfect, and all the windows in our house were open

i was getting ready to leave for the doctors 

when the phone rang

it was mark, calling to tell me that the twin towers had been struck in NYC

he said they were saying terrorists

that word was unfamiliar, and didn't carry weight

i tried to process, but didn't have the categories

he told me to turn on the radio--we had no tv

minutes later, an explosion nearly shook our house

my thought was, "Oh God, DC is being bombed"

the phone rang, and it was mark again

telling me that a plane had just crashed into the pentagon

i had heard, and almost felt it, he could see the smoke from his office building

he told me to get in the car now, and pick him up

i flew out of the house, feeling so exposed

i literally ran to the car, like there were snipers in our trees

i got to his office in record time

and we were on the highway, heading north to my parents within minutes

of the pentagon being struck

we missed the crazy gridlock of the thousands fleeing DC

we spent the day with my family

watching with sadness and disbelief the unfolding events

we drove home that night--the roads were a ghost town

we passed the still burning pentagon

and could smell the smoke from it at our house for many days afterwards

it's all so vivid still

and yet, today i'm aware of the many whose lives were

tragically and irreversibly impacted--

of the innocent lives lost--

of the men and woman who responded to the call of duty--

literally laid down their lives for strangers

and of the many whom i have recently learned are suffering

from very serious health issues

from the time that they spent doing search, rescue and clean-up

after these tragedies

i am sad

and i am praying for the friends and families of those lost

and for those who are still suffering today

GOD BLESS AMERICA