Never Forget

I remember waking up that day and just like every other day, I checked my email.  I had an email from a friend who lived in the city saying that she was safe and okay.  I didn't understand it at the time, but I was going to be late for class so I got myself ready and headed off to class.

Everything seemed pretty normal that morning, but it was far from it.  I walked towards the back of the classroom toward my roommate Adrienne, and my professor had the news on the projector screen.  That was when I realized what that email had meant.  The news showed utter destruction in a city less than 60 miles from my home, as well as in Washington, DC where a lot of my classmates were from.  Not only that, but the previous night a bunch of my friends and I were hanging out with some people who were flying back to Scotland that very morning.  Adrienne and I had told our professor about our Scottish friends and she let us and the rest of the class leave.  I can remember walking through the parking lot trying to call my mom, but all the circuits were busy and it was almost impossible to get a call through.  I was worried about my parents, my sister, and most of all my grandmother, aunt and uncle and cousins who lived just over the George Washington Bridge on the Jersey side.  I had known that my aunt had often taken Joseph and Hailee into the city because of modeling gigs and I was hoping that today was not one of those days.  Thank God everyone was safe, but since my uncle worked for the town of Edgewater (right across the river from NYC) he had been called in to assist at Ground Zero.

I heard amazing stories of how people had narrowly missed their train into the city, or decided to call in sick that day, and therefore avoided such devastation.  It's funny how some people thought missing the train into the city was the worst thing that could happen that day, but it ended up being the best thing that had happened.

I can't remember much about the days that followed.  I can't remember how long classes had been cancelled for, but I do remember going home and being with my family.  I'm pretty sure the majority of the campus did the same.

I hold a special place in my heart for the people who ran into the city and Pentagon while everyone else was running out.  I also hold a special place in my heart for all the service men and women who continue to protect and serve our country.

I walked past the Freedom Tower a couple of weeks ago while in the city.  It's a chilling experience and I can't wait until I get a chance to go to the 9/11 Memorial.