Reflecting

It's been 11 years since that fateful day. I, like everyone else, remember vividly the events of 9/11/01 as if it were yesterday. It was my first day back at the office after my wedding and honeymoon. It was supposed to be a joyful re-entry into the workplace. What it became was something else entirely.

Time passed, and the following year found Christopher and I visiting our friends Chris and Janie in Oregon. We spent 9/11/02 with friends who warmed our hearts, and it seemed to make it all better, somehow. The wounds had begun to heal.

It didn't hurt that we spent a good portion of the day listening to Bruce Springsteen's album, "The Rising". If you don't think art can have a profound effect on the human soul, listen to this album. If it doesn't somehow touch you, please get checked; something is wrong with you.

And now, we fast forward to 2012. For me, as for many, it's a different life. I came to work today and marveled at the blue sky, reminded that the weather 11 years ago was eerily similar. I walked onto our beautiful campus and felt grateful for the job, the people I work with, and my friends and family. It's a day to be grateful.

At 8:30, the campus community gathered around our bell tower to share in a memorial ceremony. The sky was blue, and the sun was warm. I stood shoulder to shoulder with colleagues, students and faculty, and I offered up a silent prayer for those we lost that day, and for those we've lost in the years since.

And then, I opened my eyes and raised my head, looking up at the sky just in time to see a plane cross my field of vision. I smiled as a lone tear made its way down my cheek.