Full Circle

I had been asleep for about 15 minutes last night when the phone rang. It's a sound parents of teenagers and young adults fear the most, so I guess it was a good thing my vision was blurry and I could not see the caller ID number. Liza's voice on the other end had a sense of urgency - 'Mom - Osama Bin Laden is dead. We killed him.' I didn't hear her correctly the first time - I thought she said Obama was dead. As I began to come to she told me to turn on CNN and we hung up. And there it was - we had found Bin Laden and assassinated him. I couldn't help but flash back to September 11th, 2001. It was a day most of us will never forget. I was on my way out the door to work when the first plane hit - I thought it was just a small plane that had a mishap. When I turned on the radio in my car, it became all too real. The second plane had hit as had the Pentagon. By the time I arrived at work, panic amongst my colleagues had begun to set in. Many of them had loved ones who worked at the Pentagon. Thankfully, Montgomery County shut down so everyone could be with their families. As Black Hawk helicopters flew low along 270 on my commute home I knew our lives would never be the same. For weeks after the attack, the only sounds that could be heard in the sky were those of fighter jets patrolling the airspace. There was a sense of sadness in the air...but after the attacks, I saw more American flags flying than I ever had. This terrible attack had not fractured our nation - it had strengthened it. And today, after nearly ten years, we have a comforting moment of closure. It is hard to believe one man could be so evil and cause so much pain, but his day of judgment has come. I know I am not the only one who believes I won't be seeing this guy in heaven.