God Bless America!

As I got up this morning, I was reminded of the date and then began to remember the feelings, that are still so fresh, about what happened 8 years ago today. I can't believe that this tragedy of 9/11 happened 8 years ago and I can still feel so deeply about it. This tragedy truly effected mine and many people's patriotism.

I always remember my parents telling me they still knew exactly where they were when John F. Kennedy was shot. I know that David and I will every year share with Matthew what the meaning of 9/11 is and talk about what that means for our country.

I have a long line of patriots in my family, especially on my mom's side. My great grandmother was known for daily saying the pledge outside of her house. If you were passing by her home while she was doing this you would be asked (or told) to join her in this tradition. Both my grandfathers were in the military as well as my dad. My granddaddy received a purple heart for being shot. At any patriotic celebration, you can observe all of our feet tapping to the marches as if we were in the front line of the infantry. All this to say, the pride of being American has been spread throughout our family's heritage.

I guess this is why when the tragedy of 9/11 hit I felt like it shook my insides. I remember watching it on the Today Show after my mom called and then on live TV watching as the second plane flew into the towers. "What am I watching?" I thought. This is some sick movie or something. As reality set it, this became apart of me and all Americans. We are prideful people, though our pride as helped us withstand many things and horrible tragedies. This is something to hold onto regardless of who or what tries to take that away from you.

This morning I put my flag outside, as it is everyday, and though I've never met my great grandmother McCoy, I carried on her tradition and stood silently at the base of the flag and pledge my allegiance to it. September 11th..may we never forget that day and everyday that our freedoms are protected by our brave men and women.