As we are approaching the 10th anniversary of 9/11, many thoughts go through my head. Where I was, what I was doing, how this affects my kids, how it still makes me cry to see the pictures and hear the stories and so on. One thing that does stand out is how grateful I am to live in this country. The freedoms that I have and take for granted every single day. I think about the soldiers on the great sacrifices that are made to keep this country free. How they fight hard to keep the bad guys on their turf and not ours.
Another thing that stands out is how far we have come as a country to stand together. When going through some of the photo essays on Yahoo and Time; I could not help but notice how everyone (firefighters, rescue workers, EMT, police officers, civilians) was helping out. There were no race, gender lines drawn. It was Americans helping each other get out of harms way. They may have looked exhausted, scared, fearful, but they just kept going. It breaks my heart each time I see the pictures or video of the planes crashing, that is one sight that is forever with me. I do not think this is a day that any of us will forget.
I think about that Alan Jackson "Where were you when the world stopped turning?" I was getting out of bed to get ready for school when I heard it on the radio. They had it breaking news and at first I thought it was a movie for some reason. Then I heard it the second time and my heart dropped and that time it sunk in. I left my room and told my mom who turn on the TV and there it was. I could not stop watching. I will never forget seeing the airplane fly right into the tower and then a little while later the tower falling down. I went to school. I got to my business class and I remember my instructor telling us that he was thanking god for not letting him get into his plane. He was suppose to fly out that morning to New York to do business, but had some things come up that morning that made it so he didn't make it. Classes was canceled for the rest of the day and I think for the rest of the week even. I remember every where I went someone had a TV on and was glued to it. For the rest of the week the news was on nonstop at my parent's house. It seems like a blur now, but back then time seemed to slow down.
I really agree that we will never forget, because once we do the bad guys win.
