We will never forget

While we were eating dinner at church last Wednesday night, I overheard a friend talking with her third-grade daughter about her school day.

Mom: What did you learn in school today?
Daughter: We talked about when two planes crashed into twin towers.
Mom: Oh yeah? What did you learn about it?
Daughter: We learned that 3,000 people died and another plane crashed in a field. 

The conversation when continues, but it hit me like a ton of bricks-- Realizing that to Katie {and her generation and every generation that follows} the attacks on 9/11 will merely be something they learn about in textbooks at school. And it really just hit me like a ton of bricks.

Now my sisters are quite a bit younger than me. They were in elementary school in 2001 {and Laura was actually celebrating her 10th  birthday the day of the terrorist attacks!} and while they were too young to really know what happened, they can both express how things were different that day. They knew *something* happened.

But when Katie mentioned learning about the planes crashing into the towers, it reminded me of the times when my mom would ask me about my day at school. Like, when Kennedy was shot, when Pearl Harbor was bombed, when Nazi Germany surrendered and people celebrated Victory across the word. The subjects I learned about in History class.

History.

I can imagine this is just how the people of generations of that time feel about me. I am sure that when December 7th passes by each year, that they remember that very day when Pearl Harbor was bombed-- where they were, how they felt, how the world changed.

I still remember that day in September.

I was a senior in high school, sitting in first hour when Mr. Ockenfels came in the room and said, "remember what you're doing right now. You will remember it for the rest of your life." The news websites were down from all of the traffic, so we listened to the news events of that day by radio. It was so confusing. What happened?! Why?? Another plane. Why?? After school, I waited in a line that went all the way down the street just to fill up with gasoline. I watched the news all night that evening after our scheduled volleyball game was cancelled.

But the thing that really matters, is that the next day- life went on. I went to school, my parents went to work. As did the rest of the world. We weren't going to let this horrific tragedy keep us down. Our nation joined together to pray for more people to be found, for the safety of the rescue workers, for our armed forces. Teams from all over the country went to the city to help piece back together the disaster area the terrorists left for us. We overcame. We stood united.

Life went on. I graduated, went to college. I married my college sweetheart. And now we have two children. Ten years has passed, but I will never forget.

We will never forget. 

I write this now. I want my children to know what it was like to celebrate this unfortunate anniversary. I want them to understand why we honor the lives lost on this day. I want them to be so proud of that pilot who crashed his plane into the field, the first responders who lost their lives helping others, the young men and women who lined up to enlist in the service. I want them to understand what happened that day- that it wasn't an accident, but planned and intentional.

Not to scare them or to taint their childlike view of our world, but to teach them that we have something worth fighting for. To teach them of our great freedoms in this country and what it means to do the right thing. To stick up for people. To understand that freedom comes at a cost and it is our responsibility to stick together and support each other. And lastly, to understand why Daddy decided to enlist to serve our country- that sometimes we must serve a greater purpose than our own. And even though it means that sometimes he has to be gone, it is because he is doing his part to keep us safe. To keep us all safe.

I love what Lara at Less Cake {More Frosting} created as a FREE printable. Just check out her site and read her touching posts as well. 

{Lastly, happy 20th birthday Laura!}

Proud to be an American

Happy 234th birthday, America!!

The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays! I love grilling burgers, spending time with family, and of course my fireworks are my favorite.

Jackson and I celebrating the holiday last summer

I once spent the 4th in another country, China. I was so bummed when I found out that I wasn't going to be in the states to celebrate.I didn't get to see fireworks that year, but it was the time I learned to really appreciate the freedoms we do have. When the kids were listened intently about stories about what it's like to have brothers and sisters, or when we had to sneak into a secret church service that was held in a old factory just to be able to worship... these were the moments that I thanked God for the freedoms we so often take for granted. 

This is a picture of the Old and New Testament Bibles that were once shared amongst an entire village. They were buried separately in between uses. The man these were passed down to was refused to have his picture taken with the Bibles in fear of what could happen to him if he were discovered.

On the international flight home, a Canadian woman had too much to drink on the international flight home and she ended up being handcuffed with zip-ties. She was making all sorts of ruckus and eventually began to criticizing everything about our country and it literally took all of my effort to not get up and hit the lady. I just could not wait to be back on American soil.

We live in a great country. A free county. There will never be a time when we all agree, but that is the greatest freedom we  behold-- the freedom to disagree and to make our voices known. United We Stand. One Nation Under God.

When Derek started talk about joining the Army, I never hesitated to support him. Who am I to accept my freedoms without the willingness to offer sacrifice. There are surely days when I am overwhelmed and sad about the months we will spend apart, but I am so proud of my husband and his willingness to serve our great country.

My handsome soldier

While you have fun and celebrate today, be sure to remember the reason we celebrate this holiday. For ideas on ways to show support to the troops, check out this post.