So . . . I know not everyone does/celebrates the concept of "golden birthdays". In my family, it was a big deal. I turned 12 on the 12th when I was sixth grade. (And it snowed on my birthday, something that doesn't always happen given the month I was born.) My dad had to wait until he was 31 years old for his Golden Birthday!
Today, 9/11 is having its Golden Birthday. I don't know if that's something to celebrate or not. We can remember the people who died that day. We can also remember the kids born that day who are turning 11 and having their Golden Birthdays today. We can remember Christina-Taylor Green who was born that day, but died a year and a half ago. (In Tucson, at the Safeway that I used to shop at occasionally both before and after that Jan 8th day . . . and I passed by it regularly several times a week.)
We can think about other kids born since then . . . my younger niece was born on the 4th anniversary of 9/11. I remember that day well. I was visiting my brother and his wife, and took care of the older two kids while their mom gave birth to their little sister. My nephew was born a couple of months after 9/11.
In the years before THE 9/11, I might be able to check and see if I wrote in my journal entries. Maybe I should (and come back to edit this blog entry). I know that most of those years, if it was a weekday, I was in school. During high school, I am sure I was doing something marching band related (today, outside, the wind and the warm sun reminded me of going out during our band period to the practice field to run our show a couple of times. And probably the smokers throwing the "fruit" from the trees nearby at us.) Two years before 9/11, I had just gotten my MLIS degree, and was doing phone interviews all over the midwest. Probably right around Sept 11, 1999, I probably phone interviewed with the library in Ohio that offered me a position less than two weeks later. I moved there, and that is where I was working during 9/11.
On THE 9/11, I did not have to go to work early as I was scheduled to work until closing at 9. I was up exercising early (earlier that year, I had worked hard, and lost 55 lbs), and then turned on the Today Show while I ate breakfast and checked email (and message boards, etc). Yes, I was multitasking, but my attention was riveted to the TV when something hit the World Trade Center.
I didn't know anyone personally in the World Trade Center, but I had no idea about the planes still in the air. I was shaking as I took a shower two hours later, wondering if it was safe to drive to work. When I got to work, someone had brought a small tv in to put in the staff lounge. Everyone was scared. I don't remember the library being all that busy, either.
Since then, on 9/11, it's been a little different and yet very normal. In 2002, I have no idea what I was up to that day. It would have been a Wednesday, so I suppose I was at work again. In 2003, I was finishing up at my job in Ohio, and getting ready to move to Illinois. In 2004 . . . no real idea, as it would have been a Saturday. In 2005, as I already mentioned, there for my older niece and nephew, waiting for their sister to be born. (And also, I was recovering from food poisoning, but was much better that day, unlike three days before.) In 2006, my DH and I were trying to figure out our wedding plans. I was also recovering from a fracture in my foot. In 2007, I was pregnant with our first son, and was very hopeful he would survive his heart defects and surgery after he was born. I probably also was at work that day. In 2008, our son had been dead for five months, we had moved to Tucson (and Monsoon was pretty much over by then), and I was trying to work out more. In 2009, I was pregnant with our second son, in the throws of all-day-and-night-sickness, and very anxious about whether the baby was healthy or not. In 2010, I was going back to work and leaving our second son with a babysitter.
This is how life moves on.
Today, 9/11 is having its Golden Birthday. I don't know if that's something to celebrate or not. We can remember the people who died that day. We can also remember the kids born that day who are turning 11 and having their Golden Birthdays today. We can remember Christina-Taylor Green who was born that day, but died a year and a half ago. (In Tucson, at the Safeway that I used to shop at occasionally both before and after that Jan 8th day . . . and I passed by it regularly several times a week.)
We can think about other kids born since then . . . my younger niece was born on the 4th anniversary of 9/11. I remember that day well. I was visiting my brother and his wife, and took care of the older two kids while their mom gave birth to their little sister. My nephew was born a couple of months after 9/11.
In the years before THE 9/11, I might be able to check and see if I wrote in my journal entries. Maybe I should (and come back to edit this blog entry). I know that most of those years, if it was a weekday, I was in school. During high school, I am sure I was doing something marching band related (today, outside, the wind and the warm sun reminded me of going out during our band period to the practice field to run our show a couple of times. And probably the smokers throwing the "fruit" from the trees nearby at us.) Two years before 9/11, I had just gotten my MLIS degree, and was doing phone interviews all over the midwest. Probably right around Sept 11, 1999, I probably phone interviewed with the library in Ohio that offered me a position less than two weeks later. I moved there, and that is where I was working during 9/11.
On THE 9/11, I did not have to go to work early as I was scheduled to work until closing at 9. I was up exercising early (earlier that year, I had worked hard, and lost 55 lbs), and then turned on the Today Show while I ate breakfast and checked email (and message boards, etc). Yes, I was multitasking, but my attention was riveted to the TV when something hit the World Trade Center.
I didn't know anyone personally in the World Trade Center, but I had no idea about the planes still in the air. I was shaking as I took a shower two hours later, wondering if it was safe to drive to work. When I got to work, someone had brought a small tv in to put in the staff lounge. Everyone was scared. I don't remember the library being all that busy, either.
Since then, on 9/11, it's been a little different and yet very normal. In 2002, I have no idea what I was up to that day. It would have been a Wednesday, so I suppose I was at work again. In 2003, I was finishing up at my job in Ohio, and getting ready to move to Illinois. In 2004 . . . no real idea, as it would have been a Saturday. In 2005, as I already mentioned, there for my older niece and nephew, waiting for their sister to be born. (And also, I was recovering from food poisoning, but was much better that day, unlike three days before.) In 2006, my DH and I were trying to figure out our wedding plans. I was also recovering from a fracture in my foot. In 2007, I was pregnant with our first son, and was very hopeful he would survive his heart defects and surgery after he was born. I probably also was at work that day. In 2008, our son had been dead for five months, we had moved to Tucson (and Monsoon was pretty much over by then), and I was trying to work out more. In 2009, I was pregnant with our second son, in the throws of all-day-and-night-sickness, and very anxious about whether the baby was healthy or not. In 2010, I was going back to work and leaving our second son with a babysitter.
This is how life moves on.
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