So much has changed, yet so much remains the same

So much has changed in the past 13 years. Yet, so much is still the same.

This morning, my wife Amy and I rushed to get ready for work just like we did in 2001. But our kitchen looks different now (thanks to a remodel). The little face in the high chair is now a teenager who has two brothers. They are two boys who have never known the world pre-9/11.

Amy was ironing just like she was on 9/11. The TV was on back then (a old-style TV that is long gone.) Our flat screen was off this morning. (We check Twitter for the news instead.) Thirteen years ago, I noticed the smoke pouring out of the World Trade Center. I knew it wasn’t an accident. You don’t hit a big building on a clear day. The shock of the second plane hitting the second tower confirmed my fears. We sat stunned as we watched people choose jumping over burning to death — right before our eyes on live TV.

We prayed. And then I rushed off to work.

My commute was almost the same this morning. Different car but same route down I-55 into Jackson. Gas was $1.35 at the Pump ‘N’ Save in 2001. The Pump ‘N’ Save is a Volkswagen dealer. And gas is now $3.09 a gallon.

I walked into the same newsroom. It’s now emptier with less cubicles and people. But it still looks pretty much the same as it did in 2001. A TV was the Towers burning in real time. That TV (replaced with yet another flatscreen) was showing a replay this morning. Thirteen years ago, I was stunned from the horror and thinking what the heck I’d draw in the extra edition. Extra editions have gone the way of the dinosaur. Today we’d post directly to the web. Or send out to Twitter or Facebook. Back then, I hurriedly drew knowing the presses were waiting. I drew a cartoon of the Statue of Liberty mourning as the black smoke covered Manhattan. It was a creation of a tight deadline, adrenaline and prayer.

This morning, I heard a jet fly over. I remember the odd silence for the days after 9/11 when all planes were grounded. The airline industry took it on the chin. Flying in general has gotten more stressful. If that was the terrorist’s goal, they won.

But if their goal was to break us, they failed. As horrifying as that dark day was, something amazing happened. First responders reminded us of their bravery, Congress sang on the Capitol’s steps, we hailed the heroes on Flight 93 and we came together as a country like we haven’t since World War 2. Flags flew everywhere.

The last thirteen years have come at a great cost. We’ve lost thousands of brave men and women fighting the war on terror. Even more have been wounded. The economy took a hit as well. Our civil liberties have been damaged. “United We Stand” posters faded over time and the flags were put away. The world seemed to become a darker, more cold place. Bin Laden is thankfully dead. But the war on terror rages on.

So much has changed in the past 13 years. Yet, so much is still the same.