Part of me can't believe that it has been 7 years. Another part of me feels like it was just yesterday. Still to this day i don't really know how i feel about what happened on September 11th 2001. My heart aches for those that lost a special someone on that day. My heart breaks for our country and how one violent act has thrown this country into a downward spiral of fear and loss. I can't get through this day without thinking about the song by Alan Jackson "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?".
I remember exactly where i was. It was my Sophomore year of high school. The year had barley got off to a start. I was in 2nd period and the day just happened to be Fine Arts Day. We were studying the Ancient Egyptian Pyramids. My Homeroom teacher, who happened to be a history teacher and a war buff, was right across the hall. At about 9:00am Mr. Weaver came running into our Fine Arts class and yelled "Turn on the TV we are being bombed". Those are not words you forget. We turned on the TV just in time to see the second plan crash into the second tower. I remember feeling this knot growing in my stomach. I did not know anyone in either of the tower nor in any of the planes, but i knew that what was happening was going to change the way we lived forever. Shortly after there came an announcement over the intercom that 4 planes had been hijacked and that we should not panic but go on with our day unless other wise instructed. I remember thinking how do we go on about our day like this hasn't happened. The day was anything but normal. Every class was distracted from daily work as we watched the towers fall. We watched people run, scream, and cry. An image that will forever be stuck in my head was the sight of people jumping in desperation from the buildings before they fell. I remember thinking how bad it must be, how scared you have to become to jump 50 or more stories just to try and survive an impending death. I remember one of my friends leaving school because her father was on a business trip in New York and her mother couldn't contact him. I think now looking back that everyone was scared to death. It was like the end of the world was coming and there was nothing we could do but sit there and watch as it all came crashing down on top of us. I left school early that day. I couldn't control my emotions and finally my teacher told me to call my dad and go home.
When i got home i turned on the TV and watched in disbelief as the news kept rolling. The other 2 planes that had crashed. The fire and police men missing. I watched until i couldn't watch anymore and fell asleep in tears. I remember the next days as we learned more about what happened. The real shock came when West Virginia learned that we were on the list of targets to hit. Because of our massive amount of chemical plants and our relative closeness to DC we were a target. My head swam with too much information. Too many what ifs. Not Many people know that Greenbrier County in the safe haven for the president. There is a tunnel that leads there from the White House should the president need to escape unknown. I remember being in fear that this wasn't over. That another attack would happen and this time it would strike closer to home.
I would hope that 7 years later we have more answers than we do questions but i don't think we do. I think our government has lead us in the wrong direction. Not in the beginning but on down the line our mission got obstructed. It angers me that we still don't have the one man totally responsible for this horrific time in our nation. It hurts that the families who will forever morn this day don't have a sense of peace that there loved one's killer, the man who masterminded this whole scheme, is no longer a threat. I hope that with a new president we will become focused once again on the real cause for being in the middle east and that our soldiers who died 7 years ago today and everyday over sea have not died in vain. I pray that God has mercy on the families of the fallen heroes of that day. The ones who came from all over to search for strangers in the rubble, the ones who helped a few escape while they perished, the ones who came to work that day ready for a boring day of fighting small fires or writing tickets to speeders only to die trying to save the victims of a unexplainable, senseless act of violence, the ones on the plane who fought back against these villains and save what might have been 100's of other people. I say thank you to them today. As we remember this day forever in a hearts and souls make sure to thank them for their service. Thank them for their heroic strength that aloud them to put others above their own safety.
I hope every one takes the time to remember today. Remember it all and feel blessed when you hug you children and husband/wife. Be thankful that they are with you as so many today will morn the loss of the ones they loved and no longer have. If September 11th 2001 taught us anything it should have taught us to love hard and never forget that we do not know what today holds for us. So make sure you leave nothing unsaid today. If you miss someone tell them, If you love someone tell them, if you need something ask, and if you feel there is something you have been putting off for to long waiting for the right time do it. You never know if today is your September 11th!
