Wednesday, September 28, 2011

What's Been Going On (An Update)



Boring title, eh? I’m kind of out of it so hang on and be patient.

If you are viewing this on blogger, woo-hoo! I'm not locked out any more!

Presently, I am taking care of Himself and The Boy who both had their wisdom teeth removed yesterday. Today is a little better probably because they are sleeping a lot from taking pain meds. (yea, meds!). Besides taking care of them, I had to bring Isabella to school and my mother-in-love to the doctor. The nap I took this afternoon was delicious.

I bright spot in my life was my recent meeting with another blog buddy! I was so excited to meet “S” and we had such a wonderful time. She was traveling through my state and stopped on the way home so we could spend a little time together. It is wonderful to not be disappointed when meeting people I have know virtually for years. I have been blessed in this department. S warm and intelligent and someone I would be proud to call friend.

As for Bells, school is a lot different for her this year and she had a rocky start. She seems to be calming down and enjoying herself. She is with neurotypical students in the beginning of the day and for specials. How I love that kid – even though she can be a brat…

As of last Friday, I have now lost 35 pounds! Weight Watchers is a very good plan if you follow it. I also rejoined the gym where my son is a personal trainer. Other people pay and get a half hour. I don’t pay and get grumbling and maybe fifteen minutes. Remind me of why I let him live here?

This past year I have taken up knitting and crocheting. My gram taught me when I was a child but I didn’t have the patience. In knitting, I have made a number of scarves and prayer shawls. A prayer shawl is one that you pray over the person you are making it for. I now give them for baby and bridal shower gifts. They seem to be appreciated.

Hmmm, what else…I really want to be here blogging. Really! It’s that same old thing, though. I don’t want to write about nothing. I’m popping in to keep in touch.

Blessings to all, g

Sunday, September 11, 2011

I Won't Forget

A rerun for several years...

It was a beautiful day much like today. Temperature was around 70 and school had just started again after a long summer break. I had just finished an exercise video and was about to start the treadmill when I turned on the tv. Instead of the regular programming the station was showing a view of the World Trade Center which was expelling billowing, dark gray smoke.

I called Himself at work to see what the buzz was there since he was in the travel industry. They thought it was a small plane gone astray just as one did at the Empire State Building many years ago. While we were talking, a second plane went into the other Tower and I screamed, "OhmyGod! OhmyGod! OhmyGod! It was then we knew we were being attacked.

After hanging up with Himself, I tried to go on the treadmill. Was it shock? A need for normalcy or routine in my world which had just been turned upside down? I can't tell you but I remember that I couldn't stay on that machine but, instead, sat riveted to the television.

I called my sister and gave her office the lowdown. I called my parents, brother, friends and told those who hadn't heard yet to put on their tv's. What channel, they asked. Any channel.

Thinking about bioterrorism, I went to the nearest supermarket and bought twenty-two gallons of water and two gallons of bleach for purifying water. I then filled up my gas tank and told the Arab attendant to be careful. Next was a stop at my dd's home. She was a mess but I knew that her friends were on their way so I went to The Boy's school.

The Boy was in the lunch room and I explained to him and his friends what was happening as calmly as possible. They didn't seem spooked so I asked my boy if he wanted to stay in school and be brave for his friends. He said yes. As I was leaving, I stopped in at the nurse's office. I told her I didn't know what was the right thing to do. She told me that, yes, I did know. I immediately went back to the lunch room and took my son home.

Himself was not permitted to leave work until three that afternoon. We had to turn off the television despite the fact that I didn't want to. It just wasn't good for our boy to watch this over and over again.

Living close to a very busy airport we are quite used to hearing planes going overhead at any time of the day. One of the most eerie parts of that day was the silence of commuter jet traffic and the roar of military jets and the pulsing of helicopter rotors which occasionally swept by.

We had no idea what was to come next. All we knew was that we were together, God was and is alive and well and that His eye was/is on us.

Truth be told, I don't remember much else about that day. I was helping to care for a friend who was dying of cancer and had to compartmentalize everything to be able to cope. In the following months, I became anorexic (not for the first time), my son graduated from sixth grade, my dear friend died and I went into an eating disorders facility for three weeks to keep from dying myself. However, on September 11, 2002, the trauma hit me big time. I kept expecting the same thing to happen. It didn't, thankfully, but the PTSD Alien Hunter speaks of was and, I believe, is still rampant in these here parts.

On this fifth anniversay, I sit here and wonder when the next attack will occur and if it will happen in the same places. Could my son cope with watching a site in NYC smoking and burning for two months again? I don't care what your political leanings are but I believe this administration has strengthened our security greatly. Our borders are still porous and that is a problem we need to deal with. Whether or not we belong in Iraq will not be discussed on this site and I will immediately delete any posts referring to it.

One of my greatest fears is that we, as a nation, have become complacent. Yes, we have to get on with our lives. However, there are people who complain about taking off their shoes before hopping on a plane and many who no longer fly their flags like we did five years ago. The taxis in NYC are honking their horns loudly again unlike the control they showed for what I believe was months after 9/11.

One good change has remained, though. We say, "I love you," much more freely than we did five years ago. We are much more aware of how fragile and finite our lives are. This is a very good thing.