ten years ago. one year ago. today.

ten years ago. the twin towers collapsed. it was a normal tuesday for me. only a few days into 6th grade. and i remember exactly where i was when i heard. i was walking through the hallway on my way to class and an announcement came on. a weary sturdy voice said to go to our home rooms immediately. i thought it was normal maybe for this to be happening- middle school was different loud and scary. so my friend sam and i went to chorus class. and i walked into a classroom full of teary eyes and the tv was on. twin towers. pentagon. that field. i saw the second plane hit. i am ashamed to say that i am not really sure i grasped reality of what happened. it was just a building right? i came to later realize that it wasn't just a building. it was people. dads and moms. sisters and brothers. cousins. best friends. family. lovers. police. firefighters. military. it was a lot of people. dying. tragedy all around. and today i realize- it was God's children. and there was nothing anyone could do. that day was a fog. i saw a magazine with the main article about 9/11 children. boys and girls, ten years old now. and they never met their dads. that never occurred to me until i saw that the other day. how tragic. tragedy happens. disasters strike. and we are left empty and wounded. but we are left with community. i remember the nation being together that day. and after as well. no matter republican or democrat, liberal or conservative, white or black. we were together. what a beautiful thing. i pray for families and friends directly affected by the attacks. and that the beauty of togetherness would be seen on sunday.

one year ago. 9/10/10. josh proposed. what a crazy year we have had. ups and downs. twists and turns. sweet and bitter. and now we are married and living it up in our beautiful apartment. learning and living and loving. i remember that day like the back of my hand and how beautiful and glowing i felt. he asked me at sunride on 79th street in virginia beach. he read me a letter and hid a wine bottle with a message. gave me a ring he had worked so hard to save for. and asked me to be with him forever. [heres the full story] i remember how excited and nervous and antsy we were to tell everyone. we went to camp silver beach that night with the yl leaders and announced in a ridiculously bright and cold formaldehyde smelling science lab that josh and i were gonna get hitched. i remember everyone cheering and the excitement we all had. it was a beautiful day. filled with smiles, a handsome fiancée, sunlight, a [beyond perfect &] pretty ring, and pocahontas pancakes. ill never forget those moments. that letter. the details. how hard you worked to plan it and perfect it. the excitement.

today. 9/9/11 we are off to spend a weekend with the chesapeake leaders in sandbridge. we are excited and cant wait to be with everyone. its all so uncertain with the new area director- but in the best way possible. we are excited to invite him into our community and start the year off right. i am learning today about the freedom of dropping off baggage. how to let things go by delving ourselves into Christ and allowing him to clean out the gutters. i am trying to look at the bigger picture. and today, today is beautiful.

ten years ago. one year ago. today.