My Two 9/11s

My Two 9/11s

By Andrea Tadpole-Broussard

9/11/23

I had two "9/11s". One was absolutely, gorgeously beautiful and the other gut wrenchingly devastating and horrid. Both altered my view of life massively.

The first 9/11 was on 9/11/2000 when I was there for the birth of my first granddaughter Destiny. I saw her spirit come alive inside of her with this breathtaking golden light. I just stood there speechless and in awe. I understood the immense responsibility I had to teach her about life just like my grandparents did for me. I am very grateful for this gift.

The second 9/11 happened on 9/11/2001. I was attending college at the time and had stopped in the breakroom in between classes. I remember standing next to a classmate who happened to be of the same decent as the alleged bombers. We both stood there holding eachother and sobbing as we watched the towers fall. I remember thinking, "Oh my God! What kind of world will my little granddaughter live in when she is my age? What will my children live in?" When I got home later, I checked in on friends in the NYC area. We had a group AA chat where I could "listen" to them and support them in staying sober.

I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma about 90 miles from Oklahoma City. We went through the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building a few years before 9/11/2001. It was catastrophic in it own way and the day the towers fell all the horror of that day came rushing back.

Ii remember trying to focus on the positive. The only thing I could think of was that our nation, in both instances pulled together. Race, religion, culture, sexual identity, etc did not matter. We were all united and one.

I hope that someday we can be that way all the time instead of only in national tragedies.

May God Bless America 🇺🇸