12 years have passed since that day in September.
12 years!!!
It's been easier for those of us who weren't directly impacted by these
events to go about living our day to day lives without thinking of what all happened that day.
But there are almost 3,000 families who still think about it.
Because it effected them personally.
Because they lost family or friends.
I remember the day like it was yesterday.
I was in the fifth grade at Bryson Elementary.
I had just turned 11 years old a few days earlier.
It seemed like a normal day.
I don't remember much from the school day except that
my boyfriend at the time was pulled out of school...
Along with about 200 other students.
Back in that time they would announce students names
over the loud speakers for them to come to the office if they were
being picked up by a parent.
That day i remember the speaker coming on and name after name
after name being called to head home.
So at this point i was just confused.
And a little upset that my name wasn't being called.
The teachers weren't talking but they looked worried.
I remember the kids talking about planes hitting a building but no one knew what that meant.
I wouldn't know exactly what happened that morning until i got home that afternoon.
Once i was home we turned the TV on and channel after channel
talked about what had happened...
They replayed video of the planes hitting the towers
they replayed video of both towers falling.
They showed people running, screaming, covered in dust and ash.
This would be the most traumatic thing i had ever seen
up until that point in my life.
I was only 11 so i wasn't completely sure what was happening.
I remember crying, being sad that all those people died
but i don't think i fully understood the events of
September 11th until i was a little older.
You don't really comprehend the idea
of terrorists when you're an 11 year old.
I had soccer practice that afternoon
I remember it happened on a tuesday because
i had practice tuesdays and thursdays.
I remember being at practice and looking up in the sky
and not seeing a single airplane overhead.
And the world just seemed so quiet.
Almost as if everything had just stopped.
It was eerie and it was sad.
And the next few months would be full
of stories of survival and stories of tragedy.
Stories of the brave men and women who risked their
lives or gave their lives to save others.
Stories of the retaliation that would come
because of these acts of terror.
That day flipped my world upside down.
I didn't personally lose anyone but i did lose my
view of the world i thought i lived in.
The world where there is only peace and love and ponies.
The world where people didn't have to be afraid to go to work and school.
Sadly we still live in that world and it's disheartening to think
that terror is still a tactic being used today.
Whether it's flying planes into buildings or guns in schools...it's all terror.
World peace may be a cliche beauty pageant term
but lets be real, it's what we'd all like to see.
Keep the families of 9/11 in your thoughts and prayers.
And pray for the families of the service men and women who have fought for our freedom
And hug your loved ones if they are close.
Never Forget!
-Emily
