SEPTEMBER 11TH...MEMORIES

I honestly never thought I'd say the phrase, "I remember where I was when such and such happened..." in my lifetime. That always made me think of when people say they remember where they were when JFK was shot. But here I am saying it--I remember where I was on September 11, 2001. I had the crazy experience of being out of the country when it happened. I was serving my mission in the Dominican Republic. Cameron was also on his mission in Ohio. I remember walkin' around knockin' doors that morning with my companion Hermana Kami Morgan. We were in a tiny little alleyway when this OLD lady saw us and asked if we were Americans. We said yes and she replied with,"Your towers are falling!" Yeah, that made a whole lotta sense to us! It was only two months before I was to go home and I was thinkin',"Am I really not understanding spanish???" Anyway, we just smiled at her and kept walkin' until we passed a little home with the door open (very common there) and the tv on. We saw the towers burning so we stood there for a moment until the sweet family invited us in to watch. We just sat there shocked. When we went home for lunch, our wonderful neighbors came to invite us to watch the news on their tv in English. They were Dominican but had lived in the United States for a long time. It was the weirdest feeling ever watching that happen in your country when you weren't even there. It also affected many Dominicans in a big way because almost every Dominican you talk to has family or friends who live in New York. From what I heard that day, pretty much all phone lines were tied up from communication between New York and the Dominican Republic as people were trying to contact those they knew and loved in New York. When I finished my mission, my parents came down to the Dominican Republic to get me and to travel around the country. When we flew home, into Miami first, my parents had told me, "Just wait--there are American flags EVERYWHERE." Sure enough, as we landed, I saw a humungous American flag hanging, spread open, on the airport wall. I was so proud to be an American. I always have been, but maybe I took it a bit for granted. After living in a third world country, I was grateful just to come home to warm water and consistant electricity. But that day, I had a whole new appreciation for our country.

The other really neat thing I like to remember from that time is the first letter I received from Cameron after 9/11. I could tell from his words that it had really shaken his world. We always told each other we loved each other at the end of each letter, even from the beginning of the mission, just as friends. But around the middle of our missions, that phrase became much more true for both of us, although we never discussed our feelings for each other--respecting our callings as missionaries. But at the end of that letter, he wrote, "I love you Bethany." He'd never included my name in the phrase and it added so much more emotion after the rest of the letter. It was probably my favorite letter he ever sent. I love that I am able to remember those moments. Anyway, thanks for reading. Gotta love memories...God Bless America.:)