Honoring the Memory of September 11, 2001

As I mentioned yesterday, I don't have much to add to all the amazing words that have been written about this day.

We all know where we were, what was going on. It was the most amazing, beautiful, clear crisp September morning ever. And then it was a mess and the whole world was wrong. My baby girl was 3 weeks into kindergarten -- and I desperately wanted her home with me.

I was stepping out of the shower trying to get my youngest off to pre-school and the phone was ringing. It was T, telling me to turn on the TV. The TV was on, but youngest was watching Barney or something and was NOT happy when I changed channels.

I sat on the end of my coffee table wrapped in a towel watching the news reports. When Rudy Guiliani gave a press report about how to pick up your kids from school, I wept, wondering how many kids wouldn't have anyone to come get them.

Eventually we learned that day was full of heroes. Some lived to tell the tale. Many did not. I told you yesterday about one, and today I will share many more with you.

Five years ago I wrote a memorial about Brian Bilcher, one of the first responders who lost their lives that day.

There was Rick Rescorla, whose foresight kept literally thousands from losing their lives that day.

Lt. Heather “Lucky” Penney  was given orders to bring down United flight 93, which eventually was crashed into a field in Pennsylvania thanks to heroics of some passengers. Lt. Penney had her F-16, but in a pre-9-11 era, she had no ammunition. She took off, preparing to use her plane as the missile to bring down the plane.

These are just the stories I know of right now. I have others floating around in my brain I wish I could tell you. So many heroes of that day.

Let me tell you how I get to celebrate this day, showing the terrorists that life goes on:

A friend is a captain for the fire department where we used to live. He got tickets (or was given -- I'm unclear) for first responders in that area for the Texas Rangers baseball game. Once they were all spoken for, he had a few left over and invited my family to join them. So, I will be attending a baseball game. Sitting amongst first responders. And I will probably cry at some point due to the normalcy of it all.

May you have a grand day of normalcy.