We all remember where we were during the attacks on our country on Sept. 11, 2001. While I was putting our young daughters on the school bus, my husband, Terry, was in Istanbul, Turkey, at a Middle Eastern soybean conference and trade mission. He went on behalf of the Indiana Soybean Board.

When I entered the house to watch the morning news, anchor Tom Brokaw was aghast at footage of the first World Trade Center building hit by an airplane. Reports of other terrorist attacks followed. I tried calling Terry but didn’t hear from him until 1 a.m. 

Traveling abroad is always an adventure: Staying in new places, sampling exotic cuisine and visiting area landmarks highlight the experiences. What about meeting a long-lost cousin?

During the conference, Terry shared a breakfast table with United Soybean Board member Chuck Davis from Minnesota. Terry’s name badge listed Terre Haute, Ind., as home.

“Terry, do you know where Lewis, Ind., is?” Davis asked. “My grandfather is from there.”

“What was your grandfather’s name?” Terry asked.

“His name was Joe.”

“Did he have two brothers, Duke and Clarence, and a sister, Thelma?” Terry asked.

“How did you know that?” Davis responded.

“Because I am Thelma’s grandson,” Terry replied.

The fact that they both ended up in agriculture serving in leadership positions in the soybean industry and meeting each other for the first time across the world during the horrific 9/11 tragedy was unforgettable.

Isn’t that just like God to ordain a far-away meeting of someone “from home” during such a tragedy? It allowed them to forge a family link at the same time a once-in-a-lifetime event was seared into their memories.

Hayhurst writes from Terre Haute, Ind.