Monday, September 11, 2006

5 years ago...I remember

I remember waking up. I had decided to sleep in since my son, our fourth child, was born 12:30 am, Sept. 11, 2001. I got home around 2:30 am and couldn't sleep. The adrenaline from watching a baby be born was still in my vains. Finally I dozed off.

Up the next morning, I don't know what time. Time at that point wasn't important for me. I had the day off from work, I was going straight to the hospital to see my wife and new son. The rest of my kids were with their grandma and grandpa.

As I drive to the hospital, I casually flip the radio on to break the silence. What is this? Where's the music? Is this a joke?

I couldn't figure out what was going on, all I could think of was when they did a War of the Worlds radio presentation way back when...and everybody thought it was real. Certainly this could not be real. The things they were saying...unbelievable.

I got to the hospital and as I made my way back to the birthing center, I could tell something was wrong. Every waiting room I walked by had groups of people huddled around the television. Finally, I decided to stop and see what they were looking at. Unbelievable.

I stood and watched replays of a jet flying into a building. As the details came out through the broadcast, I didn't know what to think. No one was really talking, just watching. And then I remembered why I was even at the hospital...a new baby.

I finally arrived a the door to my wife's room and as I opened it, I wondered if she knew what was going on. As I came around the corner, I figured she didn't. There she was, sitting up in bed. The curtains were drawn and the sun was shining down on her and Caedmon, my new son. I tell you, it was angelic. I walked over to her and shut the outside world out, and focused on the little bundle of wrinkles and grunts. He had no idea the world he was born into.

He's starting to learn now at the age of 5.

I got up this morning and celebrated a son's 5th birthday. But in the back of my mind, I was replaying that day 5 years ago.

So how about you? Post your "I remember" and tell us what you were doing that morning.