Where Were You When...

There are certain events that are so dramatic, so life-changing, that we will forever remember where we were when they happened.  Ten years ago today, January 28, 1986, one of those events happened for me – the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after lift-off, killing all seven members of the crew.  Among those seven members who lost their lives that day was the first civilian in space, teacher Christa McAuliffe.

We were living in a Dayton, Ohio suburb.  It was right around lunchtime and I was sitting at the table with my two daughters.  My oldest was three years old and the youngest, almost one, was still in her brown wooden high chair.  I watched, over and over (thanks to the magic of television) the horrible image of the shuttle disintegrating in mid-air.   In my memory, it happened yesterday, not a decade ago.

Other events that are “I remember where I was” moments during my lifetime was the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  I was home sick from first grade on Friday, November 22, 1963 and remember calling upstairs to my mom telling her someone shot the President.  She told me to stop making up stories.  Here again, even though I was only five, I remember it like yesterday.

During high school, I was sitting on the couch doing homework on August 8, 1974 when the breaking news came over our TV that President Nixon resigned from office.  He was the first president to leave office, but did so in the face of almost certain impeachment.  I watched as he waved to everyone as he boarded the helicopter and left the nation in the hands of Gerald Ford, who took office that day as the 37^th President of the United States.

Jump ahead almost 20 years…the date was April 19, 1993.  David Koresh and his religious sect, The Branch Davidians, died in the “Massacre at Waco”.  Two years to the day later, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  168 people died, including 19 children and several hundred more were injured.  I was at work when I heard the news.  I worked at a pharmaceutical distributor outside of Dallas, Texas and had been in Oklahoma City the week before.  I passed right by the Federal Building so believe me, I will never forget hearing that news and seeing those images.

Move ahead four years.  I was living in Akron, Ohio and woke up on Sunday morning, August 31, 1997, turned on the news and heard that Princess Diana had been killed in a terrible auto accident the night before in Paris.  She had been the breath of fresh air the world needed, a contemporary Jackie Kennedy.  She was the epitome of grace and culture and made the world a better place just by being a part of it.  

I think most of us remember where we were the morning of September 11, 2001.  I was working in my home office in Canal Fulton, Ohio.  My young son was in his walker having a great time when my mom called and asked if I were watching the news.  I turned the TV on to see the terrible disaster unfolding before me.  I heard about the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the attack on the Pentagon and the plane that crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania after its brave passengers managed to overcome its hijackers.  I mourned and cried and wondered how this could happen in a nation that had felt indestructible.  Almost 3,000 people lost their lives that day and our country would never be the same.

Those are some of the major “I remember where I was” events in my lifetime.  If you talk to your parent’s generation, you will probably hear about the bombing of Pearl Harbor and other major milestones.  Of course, there are other, more joyous events that I remember like it was yesterday.  I remember welcoming three beautiful children, two daughters and a son, into this world.  I remember saying “I Do” to the love of my life.  I remember meeting our latest fur-baby and welcoming him into our family.

There are many moments in life that deserve to be remembered like they were yesterday.  Hang on to those memories, good and bad, because they help define who you are.