i will never forget that morning 10 years ago...i had taken the day off at the canterbury hotel - i had an interview at lilly travel services that morning and was leaving for the Executive Women International annual conference in nashville the next day. it's funny - because the one thing i also remember is that after my interview....i got a foot long stromboli from pizza king and just planted myself in front of the tv and watched the coverage. all day. i was afraid to turn off the tv that night - because i was afraid something else would happen while i slept. that conference in nashville is one i will never forget - most people couldn't even make it there since all air travel had been suspended...but those of us that were there (we drove) shared tears and sorrow as our country grieved. i kept thinking all i really wanted to do was be home with my family...now that i think back, i'm really surprised i actually went. i suppose we didn't really know the magnitude of the tragedy when we left.
i know one thing for sure...i never would have thought 10 years ago today that i would be sitting here with a precious baby girl (who is now awake with the hiccups!). such a blessing. my life has changed so, so much in the past 10 years - God definitely has a plan for each and every one of us. you can't rush his plans - you can't change his plans...you just have to wait and trust that He knows where your life will take you.
i hope that madison will share my love for other people, other countries - how they live each day, their traditions, their beliefs - and the ability to respect our differences. i know i had that love very early in my life - found it fascinating that there were people in other countries far, far away...kids "like me" that went to school and played with their friends, just like i did! i'll never forget my first pen pal when i was very young (from the TV show the Big Blue Marble) - she was from minnesota and it still makes me giggle to remember one of her letters described how her toe nail fell off. :) but i was beside myself with excitement when a woman came to our study hall in middle school -and had a list of names of students in england that we could write to. i will never forget those friends i made from leicester, england - christina and nicola. unfortunately i did lose touch with them - and wonder where they are today and what became of their lives.
the world is different now though...back then i had an innocent view of how other countries viewed "Americans". i figured we all just got along! :) now...i have a more realistic view of the violence that people commit against Americans just because we are Americans...not only here on our home ground, but especially on theirs. i used to dream of traveling europe...imagine! even living there?! but now...that thought frightens me. and i hate that. :( fortunately, i still have some awesome pen pals that i call friends that remind me that even though the world is different now...yes, there are still people all over the world just like me that think of me as friend, not as an "American". bless them for giving me hope in humanity.
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