10 Years Later

Today marked what was the most influential moment in my generations history. It is the 10 year anniversary of the September 11th World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. I was a freshman in college when the Twin Towers fell. I remember coming back to my dorm room and seeing a lot of the other girls in a common area watching tv. I went to see what was going on and we watched the news in disbelief for hours. I grew up on Long Island, visited NYC countless times as a teenager, and was going to college an hour north of Manhattan. Just a couple of weeks into our first year, the college was just minutes away from a National Air Force Base. It took many years to not be scared of those huge military planes flying so low overhead. I consider myself so very lucky that I did not know anyone who lost or gave their life that terrible day. But so many others did. The people working in the Towers, the NYCPD, FDNY and EMTs and so many more. NYC wasn't the only responders. Help was called in from all over. So many lives are gone and so many families and friends affected. We watched a memorial this morning with my step daughter. They were mostly reading the names of those who passed away. And it was family members of some of those people reading. They had an opportunity to say something about who they lost. I could barely sit through an hour of it. I kept crying. It was touching. And it really makes you think about what happened; where would those people be today. I feel like I have begun to fully grasp what happened more and more as I've grown. I was 18 when it happened. I think I was really unaware of how one single day could change everything. And now I just think about what I would do if I were in that situation. How would I feel? I try to empathize. But honestly, I can't imagine what some of these people are dealing with. They must be some of the strongest people to deal with this tragedy effecting their lives every single day. My heart and thoughts go out to all the families and friends of those who were lost on that horrific day.

Peace & Love,
Emily