9/11-Ten Years Later

I was reluctant to write a post about the attacks on our country 10 years ago mainly becauseI don't necessarily feel like I have any sort of unique perspective.  My life was touched, affected, and changed exactly as most other American's were that day. 

However, I realized that I have never written down my memories.  My parents love to retell the stories of where they were when {fill in the blank historical event} happened (JFK is a good example of this).  While ten years is a far cry from a 'fresh' memory, I do have very distinct memories of the mood of the day... the very real fears... and the days of aftermath that forever changed our world.  Today, with this uncharicteristic weather (cool and drizzling) and the constant reminders all around me, I am brought back to that day and I feel the need to write.

I was living with my roommate Sabrina, who had an early morning class at Fresno State.  She called around 7:30 in the morning, frantically saying the 'world was ending'.  I was completely groggy and couldn't understand what she was telling me.  I remember her voice, 'Turn on the TV, some planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York, something crazy is happening!!!!'  I turned on the TV, a mere few minutes after the first tower had fallen. 

We froze with terror as we watched the second fall. 

News came in quickly - a plane hit the Pentagon, we all needed to be on high alert - another plane down in Pennsylvania... there could be more - all planes are being re-routed and grounded.

Bad news all just came one right after the other, it seemed.  Sabrina's original statement of the 'world ending' was becoming more of a reality by the second.  I immediately thought of my Dad, traveling back from the Los Angelas area for a work meeting.  If there were going to be more attacks I thought the west coast was going to be next.  I nervously called him, making sure he was in a safe place.

Next came the feelings of helplessness, knowing that we were watching truly terrible events unfold and could do NOTHING about it. 

John and I had to get to school.  Not knowing what else to do, we went.  I still remember that dumb teacher turning the TV off and trying to actually have a lesson that day.  I have no idea what class that was, but I remember all classes being canceled after that one. 

After sitting at home all afternoon in front of the TV, we eventually decided to try to go get ice cream in the nearby River Park shopping center.  It was a ghost town.  The businesses, save a few, had all closed up for the day.  Fear.  Solomn silence.  Just an eerieness.

I had to go to work at Chili's that night.  The place was slow.  TV's all turned to the news and people frantically holding signs of names and photographs of loved ones they could not locate and had not heard from.  I remember a little girl having a birthday in my section... I think she turned five.  I just couldn't help but think of her birthday forever being associated with this horrible day. 

Next came the stories of heroism and survival, fear and terror. Newspapers the following days showed images that are so terrible they are now banned from being shown on regular TV.  Our world was a different place in a matter of hours. 

I think of things now in terms of before 9/11 or after.  A police officer once told me in the midst of a bad circumstance, 'some things just stick with you forever'.  I have been thinking about that statement a lot lately.  We have to move foreward with life no matter what.  Time keeps moving.  Here we are, ten years later, and we all have memories of that time that we might like to forget.  But the thing is that we won't. 

WE WILL NEVER FORGET. 

Thank you to all who serve, at home and abroad.  I can't even begin to describe how thankful I am for your service

My heart is heavy today as we remember and, in the most basic of terms, explain a little of what today is about to our six year old.

I can't believe it has been ten years....