My Family's 911

Remembering  911

Where were you this morning 14 years ago?  I would guess that you can recall exactly where you were when you first heard the news of planes flying into the World Trade Center towers.

I was in a hotel in Galena, IL doing my final prep to lead a training conference with my 35 team members from around the Midwest.  Needless to say, my meeting didn't happen.

For me, my first memorable 911 was 43 years ago.  It was my first day of college and that evening, while watching the 10 o’clock news I heard of a teenager from my hometown who had been killed in a car accident.  They didn't release the name until the immediate family could be notified.  I was that family.  Soon after I got the phone call.  

John Drewelow was 16, full of life, high energy, never a dull moment, highly competitive, my rival, my friend, my brother. 

Out of our 911 tragedy came some very powerful positives.  My dad had remarried five years earlier when I inherited three new siblings.  We went from two families to one that day.  The 911 for my family brought us together and made us stronger. 

911 for our country did the same.  It brought us together.  Made us stronger.

Yesterday, 14 years ago, millions of Americans went to bed quietly, with no thought that the next morning their world would change forever.  That night hundreds packed flight bags they would not live to open.  Thousands slept with loved ones for the last time.  One never knows what a new day has in store.

Live each day to the fullest, and never miss a chance to let those dearest to you know of your love for them.  So, tonight if you have someone in your life that you love, tell them.

Events such as these are etched in time and in our memory.  May we always remember.  May we never forget.  

And that is our news on this day 911, 2015.  

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