9/11

This tragic day is probably the most shocking moment of my generation. In highschool my friends and I often wondered when we'd hear about the first assassination attempt on a president, thankfully that has not happened. Instead we had quite a different experience. Like most people, I remember where I was. I was in Mr. Couch's 3rd hour sociology class when I first heard of the news, not knowing the seriousness of what had happened. It wasn't until later when we had the radio's turned on in the classrooms that we figured out how serious it was. I remember my drafting teacher, Mr. Vontroba telling us we didn't have to work on anything that day unless we wanted to. I chose to work and listen at the same time. I remember coming home and watching the images play again and again and again on the tv. What a surreal day. What an awful day.

I heard Lee Greenwood's "God Bless The USA" on the radio this morning and remembered hearing that many times in the days that followed September 11th. It made me think of some of the things that have changed since then. For one, I was a junior in highschool then and now I'm a college graduate. The Pistons won an NBA championship. The Red Sox won a world series. We said goodbye to a family member who as Uncle Mark put it best, "taught us how to live and taught us how to die" in Grandma Cook. We said hello to the newest member of the family in Seth who we can only wonder what he'll aspire to be. My parents bought a house in Georgia and sold our house on Labo Road. I went to Las vegas 4 or 5 times....those trips blend together after a while. I've seen Fenway Park-Thanks Mom(Cheers!). I've asked out and broken up with two girlfriends. I had my face sliced open by a golf ball (Have the scar to prove it). The Tigers were 57-86 on this date in 2001 and 5 years later they are almost a mirror image of themselves at 86-58....crazy huh? I've been to ground zero. I've found greater joy in music. I've brushed shoulders with Ernie Harwell. I've made new friends and lost some as well. I've weighed up to as much as 165 pounds and as little as 141 pounds. I've suffered through back pain that made me feel like I was going to die (I tried passing out once but the family decided against that smooth move) - thanks for not letting my noggin' smack the kitchen table pops. I've tried teaching myself how to play the piano and guitar-one worked a little better than the other but neither are very good. We got to see Grandpa Cook turn 90-that's awesome. I ran 17 miles straight with no socks (have the bloody shoes to prove it). I've partied in Ann Arbor the day of a Michigan/Ohio State football game. I've jumped in a freezing cold Lake Huron every February since 2002. I've turned pumpkin carving into a tedious yet rewarding thing. I've seen what politics can do to a church. I've watched the car ratio between my sister and I rise to 5/6 to 1.(She's always been able to go faster though, as well as text message, eat, change songs, sing, shift, and communicate with the rest of traffic at the same time).

So as you can see, there have been ups and downs and twists and turns along the road the past 5 years. We can only expect more of that to come. 9/11 serves as a reminder that each day is a blessing and each memory whether it's passing out, carving a pumpkin, or saying goodbye to a loved one should be cherished.