(This post is a bit rambly – if you don’t get what I mean to say please let me know rather than just walking away from the whole post).

On Thursday, I stood in the bathroom washing my hair and thinking over blog post ideas. I thought about writing about my attempt to lose some weight and that I’d post it today. Because Friday was Fill In The Blanks and Monday would be Dear Monday. So Tuesday was the next free day.

Then it dawned on me what the date was. It had been appearing on orders and documents at work and I kept realising how close it was to 11 years ago. On September 11th 2001 at 8.46am (EST) the first hijacked plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center, plane two hit the South Tower at 9.03am. (that’s 1.46pm and 2.03pm BST)

Back in 2010, I recounted where I was and at what time – I don’t need to repost it you can click the link but I did quote this speech:

Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there – fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge – they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion… love actually is all around.

Hugh Grant as The Prime Minister, Love Actually (2003)

It’s cheesy. It’s an opening speech to a chick flick but it’s true. I don’t think any of those calls coming out of the planes or the towers were messages of hate. I only have to hear them mention 9/11 on things like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and I turn into a weepy wreck. I watched an interview with a Paralympic athelete who lost her legs in the July 7th attacks and I nearly cried. Not tears of pity but tears of pride. She’d taken something that changed her life and made a positive out of it.

Also on Thursday our friend’s son came to hang out while she worked at The Fountain. Little One (LO) and Our Sidekick are like two peas in a pod. Our Sidekick looks out for him like a little brother. As Our Sidekick has put it in the past “He’s (LO) my brother from another mother”. And the way Our Sidekick looked after him made my heart swell, I looked out the kitchen window and LO was sat on the edge while Our Sidekick help him put on his shoes then lift him down.

Another thing on Thursday, Chris and Our Sidekick were having a disagreement and I’d had enough. We’d gone to Mums to use some sticky back plastic to cover Our Sidekick’s history book and they kicked off in the living room so I basically told them to get out – my parents were trying to work or do some bits before going away and they were disagreeing and causing stress. I shut the door behind them, knelt down on the dining room floor next to the chair my dad was sat in and just threw my arms round him and had a bit of a cry (like 5 tears and a big sniff lol). He joked about how I messed up his shirt and it was all wet (just one giant tear drop shape lol)

We hear about death and destruction on the news and we read about break downs of celebrity marriages in the magazines. Why is it so rare that we celebrate love and happiness?

So tell someone you love them today. Tell them why they make your life that bit better. Tell them why you’d miss them if they were gone from your life. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow. We don’t know what next week will bring. So don’t put it off. Tell your husband, wife, brother, sister, mother, father, cousin, aunt, uncle and grandparents.

Hold the door open for someone and wish them a good day. Say hi to the cashier in the supermarket and wish them a good day. Let a car out in front of you rather than just driving past (obviously  if it’s safe to do so etc)

So who will I be telling today…..

My Dad give me these hugs. They are super hugs. They don’t fix the problem or make it go away but the hugs calm me and make me feel like I can take on the world and I can deal with it.

My Mum‘s hugs do the same and she helps me to formulate a plan. Boys – food = grumpy. Food + boys = chilled household. Easy equation right but sometimes I forget it.

(even my brothers hugs work but they are few and far between!)

JD, she reminds me that as quirky as I am she fits with me like a puzzle piece and we do quirky together!

Hazel Fairy, thank you for celebrating my crazy, talking in code and setting up our new girlie group (That kicked off last night!)

Sooz, Caz and Mrs W, thank you for being inspiring women of God.

Have a great day lovely people of the Internet. Be blessed in whatever you’re up to and make sure you hug at least one person. Do it for me please.