Tuesday, September 11

I remember this day six years ago. I was in 8th grade, sitting in my 1st hour algebra class when our principal came on the intercom and announced what was happening. I didn't really understand exactly. It seemed unreal. That night we had a volleyball game out-of-town and listened to President Bush on the radio while we were on the bus. I went home and my parents told me who Osama bin Laden was. My mom said, "for the rest of your life, you'll remember this day." And I do remember. A teacher challenged me to put my thoughts into words, and I did with a poem which was later published during my freshman year in high school. I think I'll share it:

America Under Attack

Like a scene out of a movie
It all happened extremely fast
Hard to accept the truth
Something belonging in the past.
We've been attacked by terrorists.
The words seemed so untrue
Thousands killed, yet just as bad
It was our planes they flew.
Because they hate America
They started to highjack
Diving from the sky
A suicide attack
Evil; taking lives
Not caring who they hurt
Quickly; without warning
No hint of an alert
Felt across the nation
Anger and sadness filled the land
Allies, neighboring countries
Stop to lend a hand
Children's moms and dads,
Neighbors and close friends
Faced with despicable terror
Their lives came to an end
So much talk of war
Yet no chaos or retreat
Whoever planned this murder:
Justice they will meet
The president said we'd be all right
He said America was strong
"What if?" I often wonder
"The president is wrong?"
-Alyssa Reeves, Sept. 13, 2001
---
It's beautiful outside today. My window in my room is open and the fresh air is delicious. I'm still feeling a little sick, mostly throat now and less nose, but I seem to be getting better. I worked this morning which went surprisingly fast. Kayla let me serve instead of being in the dining room again which was great. Not a lot of people came to breakfast after 9am which made clean-up go a lot faster. I picked up a Friday dinner shift because last Friday was easy and someone needed a sub.

I took my car in to get a maintenance check (oil & filter change, etc.) and it's in pretty good condition. I felt sorry for the lady who was there when I got there. She brought her car in because a tire was making a weird sound and it was alignment and tire problems and it would cost her $1500 to fix. With my coupon, my 30-minute tune-up was about $30. She wasn't happy, to say the least.

This morning when I checked my e-mail I found out I was selected for a copy editing position with K-State's Touchstone literary journal. I'm not exactly sure what all that entails, but I think it'll be some great experience. I turned in my resume for it about a week ago. So that's good news.

No classes for me today. I finished one of my papers and still have some Spanish and studying for my music test to do. Hopefully I'll get it done so I can go to Bake Club or maybe to the university ensembles for one of my music recital credits. I saw Kristin today which was great; it sounds like her semester is pretty crazy, unfortunately. I miss her like no other. Well, my next couple of hours is dedicated to homework. Have a wonderful week.

Day 194. God is good.

Christ never sinned, but God put our sin on Him. Then we are made right with God because of what Christ has done for us. - 2 Corinthians 5:21