Impacted ...........

On my way home from Stringtown today, I was listening to NPR.

NPR was asking the question, How were you affected by the events of September 11, 2001?

Now -- I am not going to send in an answer.  I had no relatives lost on a plane.  I sort-of-kind-of knew one young man that escaped the second tower.  I wasn't a friend of a New York firefighter.  I've never visited New York City so I don't even have special memories.

So really...... nothing in my daily routine changed.

Except it did.

Around 4-4:30 on Monday, September 11th ........ Honey and I were sitting on the lawn, crying over the day's events .......... when a large plane, escorted by two fighter jets, flew over us.  It was Air Force One.

And at that very moment ... I said to Honey ... I just want to hunker down in Donahue with my chickens and sell flowers.

But I wasn't selling flowers.  And I didn't own a single chicken.

9/11 changed my life.

By the end of the month ... the final business plan had been written and Miss Eff was on her way!  (And I do use the term business plan loosely!  There were goals.  There was a budget .... an expenditure plan .... an attempt at a marketing plan!  But it was in writing!)

And suddenly, all the fear I had about starting a business ... about being out on my own ... about failing ....was gone!!!

It was replaced by the fear of not having the life I really wanted!!

Life is short.  Life is precious.  Those were lessons every American learned on 9/11.

Miss Eff's has grown and changed.  We have thrived in good years and struggled in bad.  We have had bumper crops of weeds... and Japanese beetles, swarming like locusts. (And not once have I ever blamed God for the weather/crop conditions.  Personally, I think all the bad weather was caused by Michele Bachmann!  Yes!!  I am kidding!!)

And I know this is going to sound as corny as the 7' stalks that surround our home ......... once you let go of your fears, your soul soars.

On 9/11, 3000 people lost their lives.  Countless military families lost loved ones in the 10 year since then -- protecting us and keeping us safe from future threats.

But in a corn field ... in Iowa ... one old gal found her life.  And for that ... I am eternally grateful.






Comments

Sherry said…
Reading this story was a wonderful way to start my morning. As a military family, 9/11 has changed our life monumentally but it has also brought us closer together. And yes, we learned to value life a bit more.
Jamie said…
Thanks for sharing the love and following your bliss. inspired and inspiring.
Ginny said…
Wonderful story. Gave me the chills Miss Effie. Here is many years of growing flowers, keeping chickens, etc.
Jo said…
Wonderful reminder on the true meaning of life! Every day is a gift, sometimes we like the present and other times we don't!
Michelle said…
What a wonderful post! (And I loved the poke at Michele Bachmann :-)
Oh do I love your spirit Cath...you nailed it...when fear is gone nothing is impossible. Oh, and it was Christine O'Donnell who caused the bad weather and beetles...she's the witch, right? ;-)
Claire MW said…
I loved reading this. I was still living in Canada on 9/11, and of course now after 9 years in Iowa, I am back in Canada. The news that day hit close to home because I worked in Toronto right beside the airport, which of course was a bit nerve-wracking, and we were all sent home. I don't think it affected me quite the way it would have if I'd been living in the US at the time, but it certainly had its impacts - mostly a certain loss of trust and innocence. I especially liked the part about setting your soul free though - that's what I did when I quit my job in March and moved back home to Nova Scotia. For me, though, it took 4 years of law school and some very deep soul searching, encouraged by a toxic relationship, to make me take that step. Whatever the impetus that makes us take that leap, I fully embrace the spirit of joy that comes with it.
melanie said…
Stumbled upon this post by accident. You're so right. Thankyou. The ripples are spreading. What you said has made me make a decision so you could say that is an effect of 911 in my life here in the UK.

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