Where were you when the world stopped turning?

Alan Jackson is one of my favorite musical artists. He has a calm, soothing voice. He sounds good without the effects of vocal strains that so many artists incorporate into their singing. He also is a songwriter and can produce hits about the simplest of subjects. He's old school, yet his music has a modern feel. It's a perfect mix of old and new. One of the best songs ever written, in my opinion is "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?" - a tune he wrote in the days following 9/11.

So, where was I? I was in the shower. I should have been at work, but I was 8-months pregnant and awoke in the wobbly, achy, exhausted, irritated state you might expect. I called in and used a sick-day. I had been trying to save up the days to lengthen my maternity leave, but on this Tuesday morning I felt unusually miserable and exhausted. My husband had taken our second grader off to school and had returned. He popped his head on the door to say that my sister had called and said to turn on the television because a plane had hit the World Trade Center. I'd never been to New York. I wasn't at all familiar with the area. I jumped out of the shower and started watching. And watching. And watching. I didn't do much else that day. Or for several days. I remember my husband, a firefighter, make a remark along the lines of "Do you know how many firefighters just died?" as the first building collapsed.

I'll carry that story with me forever. I'll remember where I was when it happened. Just like I remember being in my 7th grade language arts class when the space shuttle exploded or being in my car waiting to have the emissions test done when it was announced on the radio that we had invaded Iraq and the Gulf War had begun. My memories of other events are a bit foggy - Elvis' death, John Lennon's death, the shooting of Ronald Reagan. I was quite young, but remember learning the news of all while sitting in my living room watching the news.

Where were you?