A memorable day

Today, Sept. 11, 2017, was a memorable and an exciting day.

First, it marked the 16^th anniversary of when the terrorists attacked this country. I woke up remembering exactly how I found out about the attack. My sister called and we were on the phone watching our respective televisions 300 miles apart as the planes flew into the second tower and then the pentagon. We were in shock like the rest of the country.

We didn’t want to break our phone connection that morning.

Secondly, I spent most of today watching the wind whip through the trees outside my window in Athens, Georgia, listening to the rain and waiting for the power to go out. Again, I was glued to the television watching the devastation throughout Florida from Hurricane Irma and the projected problems we were facing.

Finally downgraded to a tropical storm, Irma pushed north through Georgia all day. We’d been told to expect power outages. It was more likely than not to happen with the strong wind gusts expected throughout the day and evening.

So, making sure my cell phone and computer were completely charged and otherwise prepared as well as I know how, I waited. And kept waiting.

Then, a little before noon, an email popped up that I wasn’t expecting. Well, I was expecting it but not so soon. I thought it would be another couple of weeks before I received it.

This fantastic email included the initial electronic proofs of the book I’ve been working on since the beginning of the year. I was so thrilled, I did a huge happy dance right in the comfort of my study – with the rustling trees and driving rain providing the background rhythms.

The book is a look at the joys, doubts, fears and delights experienced while raising my son. This roller coaster of emotions was shared publicly in the pages of the two newspapers where I worked from 1986-2007 and wrote a weekly column.

I realized I had this treasure trove when I came up against an issue with my five-year-old grandson and wanted to see how I had handled similar situations with his dad. I’m so glad I did that – kept a record to refer back to.

Above is a picture of Nate and me that’s included in the book. Can’t wait to see the final product!!