Thoughts on the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001:

This afternoon, when I finally had a chance to sit down and read today's Wall Street Journal, I had a profound sense of sadness envelope me. Tears fell on the page as I read the accounts of the volunteer ambassadors who guide tourists (perhaps pilgrims would be a better term?) at the crash site of Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. I remember the shock and horror I felt as I watched the BBC reporting the attack on our country while I sat in a quiet town in rural North Yorkshire five years ago. I remember shutting off the images on the set to pray the rosary with my kids for the people who died and who were dying at that moment. But I couldn't keep the television off that day. Or the next day. Or the next. The images were horrifying, but I needed to see it repeated over and over again in order to believe it was real.

Today wasn't as horrifyingly shocking, but it was a day of sadness for me. I mourned the hundreds of fire fighters who ran into the building while everyone else was running out. I mourned the brave passengers of Flight 93 who prevented the terrorists from causing even more harm that day. The thousands of office workers who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

President Bush's speech was stirring and to-the-point. I liked the fact that he addressed those who criticize the war in Iraq. And he told us that we are at war. Those who are serving in our armed forces today are fighting a war for civilization. And they are all volunteers. They are serving because they believe in freedom and they believe we can win the war against terrorism. God bless our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines and all those who serve in harm's way.

Livin' La Vida Grande!

We are a Catholic homeschooling family of twelve living on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado and nestled in the foothills of the beautiful Rocky Mountains. We have lived in Naples, Italy; North Yorkshire, England; Washington, DC; and Fredericksburg and Sterling, Virginia, but are happy to hang up our wandering boots for a time here in Colorado. Meet our family:

Maria, age 20; our college senior at the University of Northern Colorado.
Pier, age 19; our college junior at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio.
Kateri, age 18; our college freshman at UNC.
Lizzy, age 16; our 12th grade budding writer.
Edmund, age 15; our second-degree (recommended) black belt in Taekwondo, Boy Scout and high school sophomore.
Joan, age 13; our 8th grade future opera diva/pop star/actress.
Bernadette, age 11; our 6th grade animal lover and mistress of all she surveys.
Paul, age 8; our 1st grade super-astronomer and all things space-related afficionado.
JP, age 7, and DJ, age 6; our 1st grader and kindergartner best-friend-brothers adopted from Guatemala but born into our hearts 5 years ago...
and me, Debbie and dh Guiseppe.
LLVG