September 11 in Willow Springs

Howdy friends and neighbors! My ancestor Sgt. George Abney served under General Andrew Pickens in the Revolutionary War. I can’t even begin to imagine all the hardships he must have faced. He was an original patriot. I have often wondered about him, and if I would have the same gumption and passion in me to give all that I have for this country? I cannot say enough thanks nor give enough appreciation to the men and women who currently serve or to those who have served in the Armed Forces. I really admire them. This Sunday, September 11, 2022 is Patriot Day. Flags will be flown at half mast, and a moment of silence will be observed in remembrance and honor of the people and first responders who perished on the day that changed America forever. 

In 2001 I was the ripe old age of seventeen. I had just graduated high school only a few months earlier, and I had the world on a string. Looking back, I wish I knew half of what I thought I knew then. Life was so innocent, and my only concern was earning some gas money to run around with my friends. To achieve that goal, one particular Tuesday afternoon I was helping my sister Sharry Lovan hang wallpaper in her kitchen. I will never forget that moment in September as I stood on a ladder, and held up a beautiful yellow colored sunflower border, only to stare in shock and disbelief at the small tv screen in my sister’s living room. The towers had been hit and were falling. 

I was not at ground zero that tragic day. I was in Willow Springs, Missouri. Still, the fear, and unbelievable sorrow reached me, and seared in to my seventeen-year-old heart. In just a few moments, my childhood had come to an end, and my life as an adult began. I recall walking out into the yard, and looking up to the sky with the panicked thought that “we are under attack!”

Then something changed in me. Fear was replaced with a renewed sense of patriotism. American pride blossomed in a new and beautiful way. Our country joined together to support each other. What was meant to destroy us only strengthened us! We vowed to never forget, and never surrender. Old Glory waved freely all across the land, as if she was shouting mightily “United we stand! We won’t back down!” I proudly dedicated this article to the fallen, and to their loved ones. God bless you all. 

If you would like to swap howdies with me, please send an email to: howdyswapper@gmail.com. Remember, today is a good day for a good day. 

 

Howdy Swapping with Jolly Dollie is a weekly feature in three south central Kentucky newspapers: The Adair Progress, Hart County News-Herald, and The Barren County Progress. Dollie (Murdy) Slayton is a Willow Springs native.