9/11

Last week marked the fifth anniversary of September 11th. I was solemn most of the day, watching memorial TV specials and reflecting on all that had happened. It's so sad to think about, but so necessary to remember, lest we lose sight of what we're fighting against and become complacent. Eva was born into a post-9/11 world. It will be all she has ever known, with no memory of anything different. I hope that someday, her generation will see a victorious end to the War on Terror, in the same way my generation witnessed the end of the Cold War. It made me a little nervous to know that we will be flying again soon under an elevated (orange) threat level. However, I do believe we're safer now than we were 5 years ago, when we ignored the threats instead of acting on them. In less than two weeks, Dave is off to Biloxi to help with the Katrina rebuilding effort, and Eva and I are flying to Oregon to visit my family. It ought to be interesting, taking two connecting flights with an energetic 15-month old on my lap! I'm packing snacks and some small new toys she's never seen to try to hold her attention. Wish me luck!