in rememberance.....

Last Sunday Mike and Mindy and I were at his parents house flipping through about 700 channels of nothing and for about 45 minutes watched a documentary on 9/11. It brought back a lot of memories and was fitting since in a couple days it will be the 6 year anniversary since the attacks on the world trade center and the pentagon. I'm going to be traveling in Maine but wanted to drop a post for anyone who reads this. I remember back 6 years ago feeling many emotions, mostly bad, but also needed to express them in some way. So I wrote a poem. Now I'm no poet but below is what I wrote pretty much the day after the attacks. I hope whoever reads it likes it.

"I watched"
I watched as the world stood still.
I watched nightmares become real.
I watched as a nameless little girl with an all to familiar face, searched for her daddy.
I watched ash and smoke and metal and dust and bodies and dreams and futures fall to the ground.
I watched in a daze.
I watched as fear became hope became grief became anger.
And I watched that anger.
I watched fourteen hours of Peter Jennings.
I watched no commercials.
I watched as people we're all of a sudden alone.
I watched my teacher cry for his son.
I watched real heroes. Die. and Fight.
I watched people love people, people hate people, and people lose people.
I watched as people walked, simply walked, towards any daylight.
I watched with the world.
I watched as people unexpectedly had to say goodbye.
I watched and wondered when again, will Freedom Reign.
I watched cause that's all I could do.
I was afraid to watch, but terrified not to.
I watched as human kind was tested.
I watched Prayers. Tears. Screams.
I watched.
And for the first time in my life, I watched the word "War," used with a terrible realness.
I still watched.
On September Eleventh, Two Thousand One. I watched another day go down in infamy. Freedom.
~Thomas Stover.

Now I don't live my life in the best or cleanest way and there are things I regret every day. But in all honesty and sincerity, I thank anyone who chose to do what is right when given the option to do what is easy. And to all the military folks I know, and you know who you are, including the soldiers I see coming and going on my weekly flights. Thank You.

-TS