Six years ago today…

1.  I didn’t hear about what happened until several hours later. I had just bought a car the night before (a 3-yr-old, 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee), and was so jazzed about the CD player, that when I got in the car to go to my morning thing, I just played CD’s, really loud. When I got to my morning prayer meeting which normally consisted of 5-6 pastors from around the South Bay, I wondered why there were so many cars in the parking lot.

**By the way – I no longer have that Jeep; but the day stays with me anyway.

2.  9/11/01 was Miss Courtney’s 2nd day of Middle School. So not only was she facing a “huge” school where she had to be one of the young ones again, didn’t know many of the other kids, and all the other middle school anxiety – whacko people picked that day to attack us.

3.  I think the way I and most parents felt is similar to what our parents or grandparents felt on December 7, 1941. You just don’t know for awhile what might happen next, and your main concern is your children.

4.  As I’ve prepared the past few weeks to start teaching my music classes tomorrow, I’ve been given a list of all my students and their birthdays. I noticed that two of my 2nd graders were born on 9/11/01.

5.  For other parent reflections, check out Luke’s question here.

6.  For one friend/pastor’s annual 9/11 ritual, check this out.

7.  Ultimate 9/11 alternate universe moment… a few weeks after 9/11, we went to Maui for the first time. Leaving LA, of course, there were mean-looking National Guard guys with machine guns, making sure we weren’t dangerous people getting on the plane.

Landing in Maui, however, there were mean-looking National Guard guys with machine guns, making sure we weren’t dangerous people, wearing flower leis and saying “Aloha!”