Native Writes: A personal reason to pray

September 11 is my middle son’s birthday, a date once joyous in the family now viewed with mixed emotions.

After the Twin Towers tragedy, he asked me if he could have his birth date officially changed. I told him it was a vital statistic and it couldn’t be, but we might be able to celebrate it on another day.

Born on time, he would have been an August baby. He is more Leo than Virgo, if one believes in astrology. He excelled through school and has been a successful adult.

Today, he’s my “go to” guy. His brothers have moved away, one in Pueblo and the other in Nevada, which is why I speak with authority about the “brain drain.” He reminds me regularly that he never left me, even though he could have.

When I had heart surgery, he made the effort to go to Colorado Springs and bring me home. His older brother had driven from Pueblo every day to visit but couldn’t get off work to make the trip.

Usually, he pays attention to the day’s news and likes to discuss it but Tuesday, he avoided newscasts on memorials at the Twin Towers site. He did me a huge favor earlier in the day and we talked about that. We ate at Chili’s to celebrate his birthday and he gently teased his son and daughters.

His oldest daughter doesn’t think any birthday should be celebrated without a cake, so they had one at home and would eat it after they got home. Each family has its own traditions and I left them to that.

I went home with a smile on my face and a “doggie box” filled with asparagus.

Turning on the evening news, it was filled with memorials. I shed more than one tear as I realized the United States is not immune from enemy attacks and their choice of Sept. 11 probably meant something to them or it was random.

It was tragic for my little family. We didn’t personally know anyone who died that terrible day, but it damaged one of our days to celebrate.

The perpetrators of the tragedy flew passenger planes into the two New York City towers, the Pentagon and into a field in Pennsylvania, where they were forced to crash by a passenger rebellion.

Politicians have spoken at length about the persons who hijacked the planes and killed themselves along with thousands of innocent persons who were simply living another routine Tuesday. The story varies from speaker to speaker.

Realizing the nation is till a target, we were living another routine Tuesday this year, praying that a tragedy like Sept. 11, 2001 won’t happen again.

It hit our family hard that year, so my payers are also personal.