9-11 And a larger message.

Where were you just of thirteen years ago today?  I was working on a barn at the family farm when a friend came running outside and said "A plane hit one of the Trade Center Towers, I think it was an accident."  Most of us who were building the barn calmly walked inside and within five to ten minutes we watched as the second plane hit the other tower.  Most returned back to work, they were on the clock, I was just helping out, free labor so I was able to stay inside and watch the events of the day unfold.

Next were the reports of the Pentagon being hit by a plane, and a fourth plane missing, and I had several thoughts going through my head.  First before the second plane hit the second tower was this was not an accident.  Yes hindsight is always perfect, but crashing into buildings in good weather is not a common accident, then the second one came in, and on a very fundamental level we all knew, even before reports of the Pentagon being hit, and flight 93 crashing in a field.

Even with people being on the clock, many were concerned for family and friends, we were less than an hour away from the Pentagon, so many people were constantly trying to get them on the phone to make sure.  I knew people who worked in the Pentagon, I tried to call them to see if they were alright.  Everyone for a brief moment was scared that they might not see their family members or their friends.  After all is said and down when we talk about 09-11-2001, one thing is always overlooked.  Sure we read the names of those who died on that day, in a terrorist attack, we show their pictures, we watch the footage again to reaffirm that this nation was attacked, regardless of the reason, but one thing is absent.

I had ended most of my conversations with my family several years before over some personal issues and mind games my grandmother tried to play with me.  When everything started to clear up on the phone side of the networks, I started calling because I was concerned about who was where.  No matter how we feel about our parents, our siblings, their children, our own children, uncles and aunts, we should never become so removed from their lives that it takes something the magnitude of September 11, 2001 to force us into calling, even if it is a one time deal, just so your animosity doesn't appear to be as large.

I know that at this point, those of you who are like me, those of you who have ended most or all contact with family are saying "You don't know my situation," and you are correct.  I do not know why you have severed contact with your family, it might have been something that just happened, or it might be something you had to do for your own sanity.  All I am saying is to keep the lines of communication up, not that you have to use them, because there is always a chance that someone in your family might realize that something is wrong, that you have been wronged and might just want to fix it if possible.