September 11th
It's so strange to me that the terrorist attacks were four years ago today. Danie and I were discussing where we were when it happened, and everything people said is true, I can remember it more vividly than I can any other day of my life. I just remember how confused I was for weeks... crying as I watched the television, the amazement at hearing no planes in the sky, and thanking God that no one I knew was deeply affected. I haven't forgotten about the event in these past four years, it is always in the back of mind. Honestly, if I do think about it too much, or see the events replay on the television, it just brings all of the confusion back to me. I'm not sure if I ever completely accepted it, if I came to terms with the incredible invasion of my carefree life.
I remember sitting in my freshman year health class third hour, when the phone rang. Ms. Moore went to answer it, and she said that it was her friend calling, saying that the World Trade centers had just been hit by a plane. Ryan, the boy next to me, naively said "cool!" At that point, we thought that some plane had just gone off course. But then her friend called again, saying that they had been hit again. That's when my heart dropped. I knew that something was horribly wrong. And even stupid Ryan realized that maybe this wasn't as cool as he had thought. We went on with our lesson, but everyone was distracted. When the bell rang, I raced to the portable next door to tell Claire and Katherine, and they hadn't even heard yet, so I had to tell them. They were just as scared as I was. I went to my history class, and we just watched TV the whole hour. We saw for the first time the images that are now inbedded in my generation's minds: the planes hitting, the people jumping from the buildings to escape the fires, and the people running through the streets trying to escape the chaos.
The rest of the day went by in a blur, as more and more about the attacks were revealed. I heard about the Pentagon, and the plane in Pennsylvania that at the time was a mystery. I first heard the name "Osama bin Laden" thrown about, but really had no idea who he was. All after school activities were canceled, and I rode the bus home for the first time all year. It was strange not having basketball or Girl Scouts. So instead, my family celebrate Giffin's 10th birthday together. Even my grandma was there, she was supposed to leave in a few days, but ended up staying for a few more weeks.
It's all just so hard to believe. It seems like some parallel universe, so long ago and far away. Yet the towers are not there, we are at war because Iraq apparently played some role in the attacks, and children wake up knowing that their parents will never be there again. It's just unbelievable the impact that that one day had on our country.
Happy 14th Birthday, Giffin.
I remember sitting in my freshman year health class third hour, when the phone rang. Ms. Moore went to answer it, and she said that it was her friend calling, saying that the World Trade centers had just been hit by a plane. Ryan, the boy next to me, naively said "cool!" At that point, we thought that some plane had just gone off course. But then her friend called again, saying that they had been hit again. That's when my heart dropped. I knew that something was horribly wrong. And even stupid Ryan realized that maybe this wasn't as cool as he had thought. We went on with our lesson, but everyone was distracted. When the bell rang, I raced to the portable next door to tell Claire and Katherine, and they hadn't even heard yet, so I had to tell them. They were just as scared as I was. I went to my history class, and we just watched TV the whole hour. We saw for the first time the images that are now inbedded in my generation's minds: the planes hitting, the people jumping from the buildings to escape the fires, and the people running through the streets trying to escape the chaos.
The rest of the day went by in a blur, as more and more about the attacks were revealed. I heard about the Pentagon, and the plane in Pennsylvania that at the time was a mystery. I first heard the name "Osama bin Laden" thrown about, but really had no idea who he was. All after school activities were canceled, and I rode the bus home for the first time all year. It was strange not having basketball or Girl Scouts. So instead, my family celebrate Giffin's 10th birthday together. Even my grandma was there, she was supposed to leave in a few days, but ended up staying for a few more weeks.
It's all just so hard to believe. It seems like some parallel universe, so long ago and far away. Yet the towers are not there, we are at war because Iraq apparently played some role in the attacks, and children wake up knowing that their parents will never be there again. It's just unbelievable the impact that that one day had on our country.
Happy 14th Birthday, Giffin.