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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Loss and 9/11 | Eleven Years

September 11, 2001.

A date most of us will never forget. 

I was walking into Spanish class when my classmate, whose mother worked at the Pentagon, looked panicked and told my teacher to turn on the radio. We sat there, listening to the live broadcast of confusion and the reports of "a bomb" at the Pentagon. Soon after, our school was put on lockdown until the end of the school day. I don't remember much else until returning home. But I remember the way I felt...

Life changed forever on that one day. It changed the way we travel. It changed the way we think. It changed the way we live. I had classmates who never saw their parents again. I met people who ran into that burning building in Arlington that day and saw sights they'll never be able to erase. I will never be able to drive past the Pentagon again without that sinking feeling in my stomach.

I'll never forget the way that day felt.

Life changed.

And the truth is, many of us will have days like that again. Days that will personally change us forever.

Some of those days happened for me this past year. Loss has got to be the worst emotion we can feel. Loss in any form. In the blink of an eye we can lose something so vital to our own being.

I think about those seconds before the planes collided - with the Pentagon, with Tower One, with Tower Two, and with the field in Pennsylvania. I think about that blink of an eye before it all changed - before life changed forever for thousands, millions, of people.

I look back at those pictures - the blinks of an eye:





1 | 2 | 3 | 4

As I look at those pictures and remember that day as I experienced it, I remember the way it felt. Tears flood my eyes. Our world was rocked. I cannot imagine the fear and confusion the men and women in the streets of NYC, in the offices of the WTC and the Pentagon, and in the aisles of those planes felt. And the pain of their families...

I'll never forget the way it feels to stand where the tragedies happened.



"Dedicated to those who fell and to those who carry on."
A picture I took on the wall of Ladder 10 at Ground Zero

To those very men and women - those who sacrificed their lives, those who lost their family members, those affected by the events of September 11th - we will never, ever forget.

10 comments:

Haley Wishall said...

I was in the 4th grade and my classroom was right down the hall from the library and what I remember most is our librarian (she was a bit loopy, like most librarians I've ever known) running down the hallway yelling that the Twin Towers had been hit. I didn't even know what the Twin Towers were, but I still knew something terrible had happened. And like you said, it's a feeling you'll never forget.

Great post, lady. You always know exactly what to say and exactly how to say it


Never forget, always remember

Holly said...

This was a beautiful post, my sweet friend. I'm sorry that you have experienced loss in your life, but you a vision of hope. And so are the ones who experienced loss on 9/11 - your friends, our service members and our fellow Americans.

Amanda C. said...

I will never forget the way I felt that day and the ones right after. This event changed our country forever. It is truely sad.

Unknown said...

I was in college too when this happened. And really, words just can't describe how we all felt that day. I still get chills thinking about how everything went down that day. God bless them all.

Jessica said...

awe I was in 7th grade ... forever changed & never forgotten!

The Pink Growl said...

We will never forget. We can never thank our firemen, policemen, EMTs and military personnel enough for their sacrifices. NEVER!

Jane said...

This is beautiful. A really nice tribute to a tragic day. I still can't believe it's been 11 years.

Kate @ Daffodils said...

thank you for sharing and reflecting on today!

Jyndia said...

Thanks for sharing. Beautiful words. Truly a day that will forever be remembered.

Jyndia said...

Thanks for sharing. Beautiful words. Truly a day that will forever be remembered.