Get me through September...

September is a unique month. Fall, falls in September. 911 falls in September. My dad's birthday is in September. My niece will be born in September. Labor Day... college football… baseball playoffs… weddings... baby showers... dinners... all fall in September. I just want to get through September.

Today is September 11, 2006... five years ago today I was getting ready for class. I tutored History 1301 on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. It was my second year in college and I was having a blast.

I was still living at home and was saving my money to get my own place. At the time my sister, brother-in-law and niece were also living at my mom’s house. They had just recently moved back from Victoria, TX to start a new life together in Midland. They too needed to save money. Imagine my mother and stepfather, my sister, brother-in-law, and niece, plus myself all living in a three-bedroom house, not a large three-bedroom house but an average one. It was a little bit crowded.

Luckily I didn’t have to be to class until 9:15 so I had the house to myself after 7:30 in the morning. I had a usual routine; alarm goes off at 7:30, I get a cup of coffee, shower, turn on the Early Show, blow dry my hair, put on my make-up, get dressed, and leave. I did the same thing every day, it was like clock work. However five years ago today when I turned on the Early Show I was horrified… I saw the second plane hit the World Trade Center… and soon realized it was not an accident.

Quickly I called my mother at work who immediately turned on the radio. My brother-in-law had just walked in the door from a job interview and I told him as well. In horror I continued to get ready and headed for school. Of course the entire campus was solemn. Several students were missing, and Dr. Gardner did not lecture but talked about the events that had just taken place.

Most everyone will experience an event which will go down in the history books. December 7, 1941… Pearl Harbor attacked. November 22, 1963… President John F. Kennedy assassinated. January 28, 1986… The Challenger Explosion. April 18, 1995… Oklahoma City Bombing. September 11, 2001… World Trade Center’s were attacked. Most everyone will remember exactly what he or she were doing at the moment they heard or saw the event take place. I was getting ready for class.

Five years later… I have graduated college, twice, with a BA and a MS. I have had several jobs, and I am now working for the City of Midland. Today is just like any other day. I have a very similar routine; alarm set for 6:00, coffee, check email, shower, dry hair, put on makeup, get dressed, and out the door by 7:45.

Today I just want to get through September. Today I am sad… today I am stressed… today I am tired… today I am anxious… today I am scared… today, sigh…

I am Living Single in Texas…