where were you?

i cannot believe that it has been 8 years
so much in life has changed for me, and i know for everyone else too

i was sleeping, it was 6:30am in california when it all happened
nobody woke me up
my parents went to work, younger brother to school
and i was sleeping
i wake up to the phone ringing, my best friend erin on the other end
"can you believe what's going on?" she asks me
"what are you talking about?" i say
"america is under attack!"
we sat, on the phone, watching the news, in complete silence... for 2 hours

i was 18 years old and packing up to leave for ministry school just a few days later
my mom & i would be driving across the country, from california to illinois
it was a scary, confusing, hurtful time

as we drove across the country, my pride in america grew with each passing mile
there were signs all over, hand painted on canvas or tarps or plywood
"God bless america"
"we will not back down"
"our prayers are with those who lost loved ones"
exactly a week after 9/11 my mom & i found ourselves at the oklahoma city bombing memorial
they had placed little american flags next to every chair
i wish i had my pictures on my computer, it was a bittersweet sight

8 years have gone by and life has gone on
i have gotten married
moved to alabama
had two children
i'm a completely different person than that 18 year old girl sitting in front of the tv that day

have i grabbed onto life and gotten the most out of it as i could?
have i lived each day grateful for my life & the life that God has blessed me with?
i am guilty of not doing that
getting caught up in stresses and worries and... life
but today is a reminder to take advantage of each breath we take
what a beautiful gift of life we have

i'm thankful for our freedom and for president bush who made sure to keep our country safe
i'm thankful for those who lost their lives that day
i'm thankful for those still fighting for our freedom
i'm thankful for those who lost their lives in the fight for our freedom
i'm thankful that we are a nation under God, no matter what anyone else says

so once again i have to ask... where were you that day? and how different are you now?