9/11 is a day of remembrance and also a day of joy in our household
It’s JK’s b’day and therefore a time to celebrate!
But no matter what we do or how we celebrate JK’s b’day
somehow, we always go back to “do you remember where you were…”
and we reminisce about our feelings and the things we did that particular day.
JK was just about to leave for work when he heard about it on the news.
I was at work, preparing for a big board meeting our office was about to have.
A client came in and said we had to turn on the TV, a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. I remember thinking, why be so worried about an accident. But it soon became evident that it wasn’t an accident. As I drove home later that day, in a total daze, I remember seeing long, long lines at gas stations. Lines so long they started traffic jams in the streets. I was shocked. I had never seen a gas line in the US – only in Africa when I was a child.
JK remembers arriving to work at the Star and the newsroom being in chaos. Interviews he had set up started canceling as everyone wanted to be glued to the breaking news. Finally, he just started roaming the streets to talk to people and wandered into Christ Church Cathedral where people were praying. “It’s going to be hard to turn the other cheek on this one.” JK remembers a man saying to him when he had finished praying.
Birthdays remind us to stop and cherish life.
I think having JK’s b’day on 9/11 causes me to stop and cherish it a little more.
Life is precious and spectacular.
It is to be enjoyed and savored and remembered.
