Eight Years Later
…and part of me still feels in shock. I don’t have a crazy story about where I was, or what I was doing on September 11th, 2001. I didn’t watch the events unfold on TV. It was my senior year in high school, and I was away at an overnight choir champ. There was an annoucement made at lunch by our director regarding the events in New York. It was surreal. It sounded like a movie- like fiction. I dont think any of us there that day really believed or understood the weight of what happened. A friend of mine from Bosnia turned to me and said “that can’t be true, things like that don’t happen in the US. Thats why we moved here”.
When I got home and saw the news coverage, I was numb. How? and Why? were the only things that I could think. It just didnt make sense to me. Like most Americans I felt angry, sad, hurt, frustrated and helpless. And now eight years later, I am still wondering how, and why.
But I hope that everyone takes a minute today to just stop and and reflect. To slow down and remember that day. So many lives lost, so much destruction. However there were many that proved to the world just how strong Americans can be. Some became heros, and showed how much they were willing to give for others. We rallied behind each other and for the first time in a long time there was a sense of unity in our country. And for that I am very proud to call the USA home.
