Where were you?

September 11th, 2001 I was in 8th grade in Mrs. Stanford's english class. Coach V, another 8th grade teacher, ran into the room and announced, "the world trade center has been attacked my terrorists". At the time, I had no idea what a terrorists was or what the trade centers were or where it located. That day, we weren't allowed to watch the news at school because it was "too scary for our young eyes". Lives were being changed and experience what sacrifice meant. My completely oblivious definition of sacrifice was not spending the night with friends one weekend because I had too much homework.

September 11th, 2001, Barry was  living a "big boy" life already. He was in the Army and in the Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was in the field for a training exercise. (Or at least that is what I think he has told me before when we had this conversation, so I hope I'm not telling a fib.) Within a few weeks, he was packed up and headed out for the initial invasion into Afghanistan. He knew what sacrifice meant.

I was still a little kid still in middle school and he was doing "big boy" things.

Today, September 11th, 2011 I now understand the true meaning of sacrifice. It is what our family has experienced everyday for the past 5 months and will continue to experience for the next 12 years, along with all the other families who have a family member in the service. It is what our little boy experiences everyday when he says good morning and good night to his Daddy via skype. It is what my husband experiences each night when he goes to bed in a tent while Brandt and I are snuggled up in our safe home. It will be what we experience on Christmas morning when Brandt and I are together for our first Christmas and our Daddy is watching us on the computer. It is what our marriage experiences everyday when your love is halfway around the world.

Tonight I will go to bed and will be thanking God for the the life we live everyday because of the people who know and understand sacrifice. Thankful to be an American and thankful for our freedom.