WHERE WERE YOU THAT DAY?

There are days of such intense tragedy that they are forever etched in our memory. Time may dull the intense pain these days washed over us, but the memory will ever be vivid and real to us. I do not have many of these days in my life, only a handful. Today, this 7th anniversary of one of our country's greatest tragedies, I have been thinking about a few of those profoundly life altering days and the permanent effects on my life.

The first memory of such day is the day that my Daddy died. Daddy was in the hospital in Shreveport, at the time a long drive from Farmerville, and all of the adults knew he was dying. My Mother, in a desperate moment of anger at something I had said, had told me on his last visit home that he was dying. I was so angry-at her. Understandable, now, why I was angry with her when he died, but at the time totally irrational. My Aunt had finally gone over to help with sitting with Daddy, when he needed someone with him 24 hours a day. He passed away very early on a Friday morning. My Aunt called one of my local Aunts who then CALLED our house to tell us. Not a very good way to give the news to 3 young children. I picked up the phone as did my Grandmother (Daddy's Mother) in another part of the house. I remember most of all my Mawmaw's response and the shock of what I was being told. My Aunt said she called because she did not want us to get on the bus and then someone have to go get us from school. I will remember the sick feeling of shock, anger, and eventually loss until the day I leave this earth. The next few days surrounding Daddy's death have forever been burned into my memory. Perhaps someday, I will be able to write about those painful days. Definitely my first experience with intense personal tragedy.

A year later (I believe) the President of the USA, John F. Kennedy was killed in Dallas. I remember being in the high school gym during noon break when the news spread like wildfire. I was quite enthralled with the young president and his beautiful wife and the life of Camelot. Perhaps one of the first instances of the entire tragedy being covered over the television, those next days of national mourning were reported in minute detail. I shall never forget those images and the feeling of profound national as well as personal loss that washed over our entire nation. This day will be forever burned into my memories.

September 11th, 2001-Momma had died in May, Camille had graduated from high school days later and our baby had left home to attend college-five hours away. A difficult year by anyone's standards. Then as I watched the morning news, while flitting around doing early morning chores, they begin reporting a plane crashing into the World Trade Center in New York. I sit down and watch in amazement. Then another plane hits the other Tower-before my very eyes-in real time. It dawns on me what has really happened. This is no accident-this is a planned attack on our great nation.

I sit glued to the television as the day unfolds into one horror after another. Every single detail forever preserved with the television cameras rolling. Unfortunately they did not turn the cameras off of the people jumping from the Towers until we had all witnessed this horror multiple times. The eventual collapse of the Towers and the frantic search for any survivors were surreal. HOW COULD THIS BE HAPPENING? I will never forget the images of that day and the days that followed.

We all have days in our life of intense tragedy that are forever etched in the deep recesses of our minds. What were your tragedies? Where were you that day?