Tuesday, September 11, 2007

9/11...Brady Howell

9/11. There is not much more to say than that. I wanted to share a memory that I have from 9/11/2001, not what I was doing, but about someone I knew.

When I returned to Rexburg, ID and Ricks College in 1995 I began working at a gas station/ video store "Horkley's". When I started I was the only person that was not a local. It was a fun place to work. Many of my coworkers mentioned to me another person that had worked there before he went on a mission and that he would be returning in the spring of 1996. That is when I met Brady Howell. He and had fun when we worked together, we would swap mission stories and give the less active members that worked with us a little nudge (like slamming the cooler door when they would come into work in the morning with a hangover). He and I didn't work together a lot as we were both over 19 and could sell alcohol. But when we did it was fun.

When I graduated in August of 1996, I left Rexburg and moved back to Nampa, ID. I didn't really think much about Brady except when thinking about working at Horkley's as a whole. Then 9/11 happened. After the attacks the names of the people killed were released and I heard the name of Brady Howell. When this occurred it was years since we shared the cash register in Rexburg. By now he had married and was working in Washington D.C. at the Pentagon. When I heard his name I remembered him and realized that 9/11 touched everyone.

Every year on the anniversary of 9/11 I think about Brady's widow and what her life has been like since the loss of her husband and how every year there are many reminders of her great loss.

2 comments:

G. Parker said...

oh wow...it's so true. Thanks for sharing.

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for sharing this. I will keep Brady's wife in my prayers. My sister lost her husband and my mother lost my father and their hearts have yet to heal. I pray that Brady's wife has found peace and comfort in the knowledge of the plan of salvation and comfort the Lord pours from heaven to the widows and fatherless.