I remember feeling guilty 14 years ago for being so happy and blessed. It was September 10th, 2002 and our middle son, Andrew, was born 2 minutes before midnight. At a whopping 9lbs and 11 oz! (Yes people – it was 2 minutes before 9/11 on the one year anniversary, and he weighed 9lbs and 11 oz.)
Our country was coming up on the first anniversary of the largest, and the most concentrated loss our country has ever had in my life time, and the sadness was palpable in the air. All the nurses and doctors were teary eyed and so were we. However, Dan and I were just about to welcome our second child into this world and we were full of tears of joy! And of sadness at the same time – wondering what this world had come to and fearful for our not-quite-born son who was loved so much already. So many lives had been lost – not even a year before – and here we were celebrating and being so happy. It was a bittersweet and humbling time for us.
Dan, Brett (our oldest and the big brother) and Andrew
Even though it was a bittersweet time, Andrew has always been a happy child an is even a happy teenager – if you can imagine that! (so far anyway).
Here is Andrew helping Uncle Bob Weseman wash the airplane before he goes on his first airplane ride.
Andrew at just older than 2 washing the plane before his first flight.
Andrew’s First Flight – with Dan and Uncle Bob and the Piper Tri-Pacer. In-flight cocktails of milk served!
Here he is now – in 8th grade, on the A honor roll at school, a member of the National Junior Honors Society and on the cross country and track and field team.
Here is a photo of all of us this summer at Brett’s (our oldest son) wedding to his wonderful wife Kara. Our oldest is a proud member of the US Navy and currently serves on the USS Nimitz Aircraft Carrier. He and his wife are in Bremerton, Washington until he deploys.
And every year we are so happy to celebrate Andrew’s birth – he is such a gift to us and all that know him!
We also remember and honor the losses, the hurt and anger our country continues to feel by the terrorist act on 9/11/2001. And it still makes me cry (and always will) with tears of joy and of sadness.
“For where there is light, there is darkness. And where there is joy, there is sadness. And where there is life, there is death. ” We will always honor and never forget the fallen.
