The beginning of a new school year and the early signs of fall indicate that it is the prime season for basketball official visits and home visits to begin.  As Derek boards a plane on this day, September 11, 2011 I can’t help but think what was happening to our country exactly 10 years ago.  I still find it hard to believe.  It is difficult for my mind to take me to a place where people can treat other human beings, innocent human beings without value.  Everyone who is born has value and to have such a disregard for life is unimaginable to me.  I have no interesting stories to tell – I did not know anyone involved.  I had no connection to anyone at the World Trade Centers, the Pentagon, or on any of the airplanes.  I was thousands of miles away from the tragedies, hell, to be honest, I slept through the entire ordeal.  But, I am an American and those were my fellow Americans.  I feel drawn to each and every one of their stories because that could have easily been any of us.  I can’t imagine kissing my husband goodbye on his way to recruit a player then getting a call from him telling me his plane has been hijacked.  These were not soldiers on their way to war.  They were civilians doing their jobs providing for their families.

I could not get enough of the news coverage when it happened and I find myself enthralled with the coverage all over again on the 10 year anniversary.  Words cannot express the sorrow I feel as I see footage of people jumping out of the Trade Centers or what it must have been like receiving phone calls from loved ones who were trapped on the highest floors or in the airplanes.  You could touch the pain of people who were holding up pictures of their missing loved ones because it was so tangible.  It troubles my heart and my only wish to all of those who have lost love ones on that fateful day and in the ensuing war to secure our freedom is to know they will never be forgotten.

So much has happened to our country in these last 10 years since I started journaling for this book – terrorist attacks, wars, recession, hurricanes, – I find it sad that my children will never know how life was before 9/11.  My hope is that the heaviest of the burdens have been placed on our generation and that when our children have children the world will be a better place and life will be a little easier on them.