The Not So Distant Past

Today is September 11th, better known as 9-11. In a one way, this day can be added to a list of events that defined us as a nation. For baby-boomers, the list includes the assassinations of President Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr, the first moon walk, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Challenger explosion, the Gulf War, and the Oklahoma City bombing to name a few. Triumphs and tragedies that most of us have some detailed account of:  where we were and what our reactions or feelings were when the news came.

Somehow, though, 9-11 seems to stand alone and apart from this baby-boomer's list of historic events. Our nation came under attack for the first time since Pearl Harbor in 1941. We had media coverage and an influx of information unlike no other time in history. The attackers were undefined at the time and even nine years later its hard to grasp the depth of their hatred.

Last year at this time I was in the process of putting a Year in Review album together for 2001. It seemed, for me at least, that a photo review of that year just wasn't complete without documenting my memories of September 11th. Yes, my photo books generally center around family, friends, vacations, birthdays, and holidays .... you know, all the fun stuff. Maybe it was time to touch on other important events that effect our lives. The good and the bad.

My focus was on the journaling. The photos were taken from news articles. The end result was my story, my memories, and my feelings from that day. It's still so sad and heartbreaking when I think about all the innocent lives that were lost.  Someday my grandchildren will be picking up my photo books and reading a first-hand account of what this day was like. Their classroom history books will not give them this kind of perspective. For them, it will be history. For me, it will always be the "not so distant past'.

Take Care and God Bless.