Remembering

I remember a time before 8 years ago when I'd think to myself how there'd never really be a moment in history that I could tell my children "I know where I was at that exact minute in time." The generation before us had the assassination of JFK and MLK, Vietnam, and more. The generation before that had the attack on Pearl Harbor. I lived in a bubble. Everything historically devastating happened before my time and it would stay that way. I was wrong.

This day is an important day. I think about the assassination of JFK and how much this country hurt but then how over time, the wounds healed. Since this was way before my time, I didn't quite understand the magnitude of the situation. Then 9/11 happened. In the digital age of technology and instant information, we were flooded with emotions brought on by vivid imagery of the flaming towers, dust-covered people, then finally the lasting image of the towers falling with thousands of our loved ones still in them. These images are burned in my brain as if it were stuck with a 9/11 branding iron.

I was a senior in high school. Just got done talking an English test about Anglo-Saxon era literature. At the end of the period, my teacher said without emotion in these exact words, "oh by the way, just so you know, a place hit one the World Trade Center." So naturally, I thought, "wow, that's terrible, but no big deal, right?"

Wrong! Walked downstairs, hearing the buzz of what's going on and learned that another plane just hit the Pentagon. What's going on? It was then that I realized that this IS a big deal. While in fourth period chior, we sat quietly in front of the TV watching our country crumble before our very eyes. Literally. The second plane hit. The buildings came down. It was the most horrifying site I've ever seen. The emotions surrounding those images still bring me to tears to this day. It's hard to believe that was 8 years ago already.

I had to go to work that day. I didn't want to. I wanted to remain glued to my chair in front of the TV. I wanted to learn every bit of information I could. My work was around the corner from my house. I left that day and remember it being the most eerily silent day in my life. Planes were grounded. There was no traffic. Life stopped.

This post is not dedicated solely to the victims and their loved ones. This post is dedicated to all Americans. We are all in this together. My heart aches for those who lost family & friends. One thing that we learned from this horrific tragedy is that when it comes right down to it, we are here for eachother. To lean and depend on.