September 11: A Story of 2 Anniversaries

September 11 has been in the news a lot today.

This is the seventh anniversary of that awful day where so many innocent people lossed their lives at the hands of 18 foreign maniacs. It was such a horrible day...and I remember it so vividly.

I was working at my office in downtown DC. I had gone in late that morning because Lovey had left the house and had taken my car keys with her. Thankfully, Mom O'Lovey had a set of our keys and I had to wait for her to bring the keys to me. I was caught in traffic that morning and sat in front of the Pentagon for a long while and then finally made it to my office about 30 minutes before the plane hit the Pentagon. I had been at the office for only about five or so minutes before the planes began hitting the World Trade Center.

When the planes had crashed, I called my children's high schools to let them know that their parents were okay and to not worry. The government shut down very early that day. Gridlock was everywhere. When I got home, I was glued to the television and watched Peter Jennings and saw the footage of the plane crashes....over and over and over and over again.

It was a very bad day.

One that I won't soon forget.

There is another side of September 11 that is a monumental anniversary. You see, on September 11, 1978, I began my career in the federal government. That was 30 years ago! I had just turned 20 years old.

I look back...and I was filled with so many dreams....and hopes.....for the future. I can't believe how naive I was. I was a Pollyanna. I thought I knew everything about my world....and about my future.

I never dreamed that I would live as an openly gay man....or that I would marry and divorce and have three beautiful children.....or still be working in the same office that I began in.....but after many promotions later.

Or...that I would be facing my parents' mortality alone.

Or that I would have experienced the joys and the mountain highs......the pits of despair and valley of fear and loneliness.

But here I am.

I'm still here 30 years later.