I can’t believe it’s been 13 years.

In March, the Z Crew made a trip to New York City. And, of course, the one place we all agreed to visit was the 9/11 Memorial. So, today takes on a whole different feel after actually standing on the same ground where so many died. Being in the city and seeing for myself how it is laid out helped me to understand how chaotic it must have been. But really…how could I know? I wasn’t there.

This was the first time I had ever been in New York so the skyline of the past wasn’t being missed. I didn’t know any different.

Just as there is a generation who don’t know what our world and our country was like prior to 9/11. They don’t know any different.

One of the better weather days that we had (still very cold but sunny), we took a ferry ride. We were blessed with a guide who happened to be doing what we were doing on 9/11/2001. He was guiding a ferry tour when the planes came in that morning and changed our world. His memory of that day was worth any money we spent for that tour. He put a face on the tragedy – one I never knew and one I will never forget. He brought tears to my eyes with his story and with his patriotism! If I could remember his name, I would publicly thank him with this post. His warning, “watch out and never forget”.

The new One World Trade Center is now the tallest building on the skyline.

The towers would have been where there is now a hole in the skyline.

The line of people waiting to get into the 9/11 Memorial was much shorter than I’m certain it is in the summer but it still took a while to get through. I wasn’t expecting to have to go through security like you go through at an airport. At one point, I even questioned if it would be worth it. It was.

There are two reflection fountains in holes left from each tower. Each include the names of the souls who lost their lives that unknowing morning. The air was brisk. For being in the middle of a bustling city, it was quiet.

I believe the girls’ expressions reflect perfectly the emotions felt while standing on this spot. For this, it was worth it.

These faces reflect a generation who were so young when their world changed. A generation who have to know the truth. A generation who can’t let it happen again.

A couple of years ago, I wrote my memories of the day on this blog. Today, I am going to share that again.

My tattered flag that flew for a long time after I hung it for the first time on 9/11. I’ve kept it and hang it on 9/11 (if we’re home from harvest).

The day began like any other and ended with confusion, fear and…a sense of being united.

9/11/01 will forever be a memory in my brain.  A day in which the events will never be questioned by what I was doing and where I was at.

We had just returned from Montana with the second load. My brother, Matt, and his wife (at the time) were here with the kids so it wasn’t as chaotic for them as it is now.  Jim was at Husker Harvest Days. Jamie, Jenna and Taylor had just left for school. I was sitting in the living room with Matt having coffee. The TV was on, mostly for background noise. I remember glancing over at it once in a while because the CEO of General Motors was talking. On this particular glance, he was no longer talking. The twin towers had replaced his face with smoke billowing out from the side of one building. It was 7:45 a.m. Central time. We sat glued to the TV, all the while questioning what the heck was happening.

We had seen this before, a small plane accidentally hitting the side of a tall building. That’s what we thought again this morning. That’s what the media thought. The longer we watched, the more history unfolded in front of our very eyes. The second plane hit. The word was other planes were falling from the sky. What in the world was happening? Confusion. Fear. Concern. Fear. Disbelief. Emptiness. Fear. Numbness.  These are a few of the words that might have explained how I was feeling.

Matt and Jen were supposed to fly home to California that morning. I was supposed to be taking them to the airport, as usual, to get on a plane. Not today! Planes all over the country were grounded for an undetermined amount of time. I made a call to the school because I knew the girls would be concerned about their uncle and aunt. As it was, the school hadn’t even made the kids aware of the situation. They were still living their innocent idea of what America was. They had no idea terrorists had just changed their lives forever. They had no idea that anything was different from a usual, “normal” day, until I made the call. I wanted them to know Matt and Jen were not going anywhere and they were ok. They came home that day confused and scared.

We literally spent the rest of the day in front of the TV – numb – afraid to leave. All we could do was watch and wonder what was going to happen next. Were there more scary situations that were about to unfold? The country was in limbo. I was scared. I was scared for America; I was scared for my family.

At one point, I had to leave the horrible images I was witnessing on the TV. I had to just get away and try to remember what it was like just a day ago. I did what I enjoy doing – hanging up clothes on the line outside. While I was standing there, I heard it. A plane. But, how could this be? Planes were grounded. Standing outside was quiet, it was peaceful, it was “normal” and then the eerie noise that gave me goose bumps pushed through the quietness. It was President Bush and Air Force One. They were headed to Bellevue for safety. I didn’t know this until much later when it was revealed to the rest of the nation that our President was safe.

The days following the worst day left me with a “what’s going to happen today” feeling for quite some time. I know the kids were confused and scared. Even Callie, almost four years old, knew something was different, something was wrong, and something concerned the people she looked up to for security. It was hard not to talk about it. It consumed our thoughts constantly.

Matt and Jen eventually got the go ahead to fly home. The day I took them to the airport will be another forever memory. We walked into an empty airport that day. There was no one there. I was still able to walk them to their gate (like it used to be) and watch them get on the plane. An empty plane. Looking through the windows, you could count the number of heads sitting in their seats that morning.

The days after 9/11 brought our country more united than I have ever witnessed since. We were one. We were suffering the same feelings, thoughts and concerns. We flew our flags and gained a new sense of togetherness my generation had never experienced. We were going to remain like this forever…NOT!

I saw more people in church the following Sunday than I ever had and have since. We knew what was important the day after. We held our kids tighter. We made our families a priority, our neighbor was our friend and our country was #1!

It’s been eleven years ago and we have already forgotten. We have gotten complacent. We have returned to our busy lives and have forgotten what’s most important.

The acts of terrorism changed our country forever. The day will be a memory forever burned  in my brain. But what I will remember the most were the days following the tragedy. I was able to witness the horrible and I was also a  part of the unity which brought our country together. We were no longer strangers to each other, we were Americans! I wish it were still like that. I wish we would have been able to hold onto the feelings which that tragedy produced the following days.

To the many people who were affected by the 9/11 attacks, their lives were forever changed in a much different way than mine. The America I knew on 9/10 was a much safer, trusting, and innocent America. I’m certainly glad God put me here, at this very moment, to have been able to experience what used to be. GOD BLESS AMERICA!