Never forget!

Where were you?  What were you doing?  I remember every single minute very clearly.  I was sitting on the floor of our livingroom with our oldest Son, Parker, who at the time was 14 months old.  He was playing with some toys while I was on the phone with my friend Diane with The Today Show on in the background.  When they came back from commercial with their breaking news that a plane had crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center there was a lot of confussion....a lot of uncertainty.  Then at that moment I watched live as the second plane plunged into the second tower.  I knew at that moment that something was terribly wrong.  I started shaking immediately and told Diane I had to get off the phone.  My husband had left early that morning (driving thankfully) for a meeting in Canada.  I called him to tell him what was happening.  He hadn't made it to his destination yet and as the breaking news continued revealing the plane hijakings I begged him to turn around and just come home.  I knew it wasn't going to be easy for him to get back into the states.  He had taken the Blue Water Bridge and that is where he spent a good portion of his time the rest of that day.  It took him over 8 and a half hours to get back across the bridge and back to our home.  I was blessed and lucky to be able to hug my husband and child that night.  My heart still breaks for all of those who lost loved ones that day that never got that chance again.

It was the next day that I found out that a friend of mine from Traverse City had lost his life that horrible day.  Brock Safranoff was an amazing young man who had lived so much in his very short time on this earth.  Brock worked for Marsh & McLennan located on the 96th floor of the North Tower.  He had just married his college sweetheart Tara, just a mere 40 days before his untimely death at the age of 26.  I think of Brock often, but always more so on this day.  Brock may you rest in peace and may your memory live on forever. 

Thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families who lost their lives that September morning 9 years ago.  Thank you to those who risked and lost their lives that day to save and protect others and to the soldiers and their families who continue to do so today.  I will never forget.