That Day

September 11 will never be the same again. At least not for Americans. It was such a dark day in our history, and one that no matter where you live in the country, that day will never be the same.
I was nine months pregnant with my fourth child. Sitting in my home far away from the ghastly things that were happening in New York and Washington, D.C. and the field in Pennsylvania. My children were young; my oldest was eight, but she still remembers that day. The others were too young, but they somehow know now that this is a day that is important; a day that is unlike any other. I remember thinking that perhaps this was not a good time to be having a baby; but there was no way to undo what had been done; what was going to happen. It seems like everything from that day on has been slightly different. A tiny bit of happiness, a tiny bit of freedom, a tiny bit of self-confidence in our united country was taken away that day.
I love the name--Patriot Day--it gives the day certain solemnity and strength. That day will never be the same. So much has happened since then. So much that is not good, so much that has hurt our country. Let's hope that in the coming days when our country works toward choosing a new President, we will choose wisely so that we don't have to worry so much that there is an enemy on every corner, in every airplane, in every place we go. Let's hope that we have learned well from that day. That we can observe Patriot Day--"that day" without fear of it happening again.