Never Forget

I can't believe it's been 12 years since the attacks of the World Trade Center!

I started writing this post and then wasn't going to publish it until I got this text message from my sister...

I vividly remember being in my 6th grade English class, watching the 2nd tower get hit and not understanding the severity of what had happened. My classroom had a retractable wall and the teachers opened it up so we could all be together and watch the news. The teachers were so worried and no one knew exactly what was going on or the severity of what happened. I remember being totally confused.

Lots of parents panicked and picked kids up from school. Then a little while later my mom came to school to pick me up and I had no idea why.

I knew my uncles worked on Wall Street in NYC but that's it. I didn't know how close it was or any of those details. My uncles survived. Thank Goodness. But I'll never forget waiting for them to get home. Though I still didn't totally understand, it felt like the longest wait ever.

Immediately after the attacks my uncles found each other and tried to figure out how to get out of the city. They wound up walking across the bridge (not sure which one, George Washington, maybe) into New Jersey where my grandpa was waiting to pick them up.  I remember my one uncle who's usually cracking jokes and being funny was quiet and reserved not only that day, but for a few weeks.  He had a one year old and another on the way and the idea of what could have been and what happened shook him up, as it did so many others in that situation.

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Though this day brings back horrible memories for everyone, it also allows us to appreciate the things we do have in this wonderful life!  It's a reminder to be grateful and live each day to the fullest.  You absolutely never know what tomorrow will bring.  Our entire culture, country, and world changed on September 11, 2001.  It's a day that will never be forgotten!

Where were you when the world stopped turning, that September day?