I left home on September 11 to travel to Mesa, Arizona, where I am visiting family. The first leg of my trip took me to Atlanta, where I arranged to have a long layover so I could have lunch with my daughter who lives there. I have to admit to having a small bit of anxiety about flying on September 11. Of course there was no problem. I met my daughter in the atrium at the airport where they have a food court. We had a nice lunch at Atlanta Bread, lower corner in photo. While there we saw two different groups of servicemen and women paraded through the airport. We all stood and applauded them. They were on their way to Iraq. They looked rather embarrassed to be the center of attention. My heart was in my throat as we cheered them. They are so young. Here I am feeling anxiety about flying on 9-11 and they are on their way to face the enemy! Imagine the anxiety they are feeling! As you can see in the photo, they surrounded the atrium on the balcony. I wanted to blow kisses to them all, but alas, I restrained myself. Why embarrass them further? Instead I whispered prayers of gratitude and asked God's blessing on them all. What a day to be reminded that our freedom, that we take so much for granted, comes at a price.
Monday, September 17, 2007
SURROUNDED
I left home on September 11 to travel to Mesa, Arizona, where I am visiting family. The first leg of my trip took me to Atlanta, where I arranged to have a long layover so I could have lunch with my daughter who lives there. I have to admit to having a small bit of anxiety about flying on September 11. Of course there was no problem. I met my daughter in the atrium at the airport where they have a food court. We had a nice lunch at Atlanta Bread, lower corner in photo. While there we saw two different groups of servicemen and women paraded through the airport. We all stood and applauded them. They were on their way to Iraq. They looked rather embarrassed to be the center of attention. My heart was in my throat as we cheered them. They are so young. Here I am feeling anxiety about flying on 9-11 and they are on their way to face the enemy! Imagine the anxiety they are feeling! As you can see in the photo, they surrounded the atrium on the balcony. I wanted to blow kisses to them all, but alas, I restrained myself. Why embarrass them further? Instead I whispered prayers of gratitude and asked God's blessing on them all. What a day to be reminded that our freedom, that we take so much for granted, comes at a price.
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12 comments:
Hi, Marcie, the part about the service men and women and all of you standing and applauding just brings tears to my eyes.
Wow Marcie....great post. I couldn't agree more....I have a nephew over in Afghanstan.
What a wonderful post! It's good to be reminded of the young men and women that are serving all around the world *s*
Excellent post! Thanks for honoring those young men and women. You are right, Freedom is not free.
Thanks for posting this. I am in the Atlanta area and have seen this happen a few times. I'm always touched, and prayerful. My son was discharged from active duty in the Marines in July and we praying that he doesn't get recalled. Two deployments were enough for me!
What a moving picture, Marcie. I pray for our service men and women everyday...and for their families who sacrifice so much while they're gone.
So glad that you got to meet your DD for lunch.
What a wonderful post for 9/11! Have a wonderful visit in Arizona. I'll look forward to hearing more.
Wow, that is a really emotional picture! Hope your having fun in Arizona!
What a great post!!! Thanks for sharing your experience and most of all thanks for showing your support to these men and women that you saw at the airport that day. Your previous post was about your trip to the desert, who knew that you would cross paths with others on their way to the desert also?
I am sure that it was a very memorable moment for each of them too and one that they will reflect back upon....maybe years from now they will share the story with their grandkids..?
What a great sacrifice they are making for all of us! Prayers of gratitude and blessings are not offered nearly enough in this day and time - I remember right after 9/11 people everywhere were so supportive and patriotic……almost every car had a flag attached to the rolled up window... but where are they now??? It's almost as if people have forgotten we are still at war. Thanks again for sharing! ~Bonnie in SE Texas
Thanks, Marcie. I couldn't help but notice the soldier at the extreme left who appears to be choking back tears. I was, for sure, when I read this, and then clicked on the photo. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless the troops and God bless our country.
There are always so many soldiers flying through Atlanta. I don't watch the news very often but am always reminded of the sacrifices being made when I travel and see servicemen and women.
A few months ago, Keith and I were flying first class and traded our seats with two servicemen sitting in coach. It was a little thing but hopefully they realized how grateful we are for their service.
Thank you for sharing that moment. We read of things like this in e-mails, and don't know if they are true or not, but there's no doubt this time.
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