Sad day

I dread this day every year. I can still remember the events unfolding as if it were yesterday. I had just gotten up to get ready to go to work at the pizza shop I was employed at. My mom happened to have the TV on to one of the local stations, but she was upstairs cleaning the bathroom. I was getting ready to go up and shower and happened to walk past the living room and saw that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. At that point everyone thought it was an accident. Then everyone saw the 2nd plane hit and everyone knew this was no accident. I yelled for my mom and she came down to watch. I saw those buildings fall and it took a couple minutes to register that there were people still inside :*(. When the plane slammed in to the Pentagon, I started getting really nervous and scared. On my way to work was when I heard on the radio that a plane went down in a field less than an hour away from where I live and then it REALLY hit home.

I got to work and my boss and my aunt (who worked there as well) were both in a frenzy. We were all scared and my boss decided to just close down the shop.

Much of the day was spent watching the news. I thought maybe this was the end of the world. I had never experienced such a huge tragedy. I didn't know what these terrorists were capable of doing. I felt very vulnerable...like ANYTHING could happen at ANY moment. That afternoon my mom sent me down to the store to get buns...we were having hamburgers for supper. There were people just standing around everywhere, talking about what had happened. And I will never forget what a beautiful, fall day it was. The sky was crystal blue with white puffy clouds and the temperature was perfect...not too hot, not too cool. How could such a beautiful day bring such tragedy??

I did not know anyone that lost their life that day or that was in any of those buildings or airplanes. My heart aches for those that were lost and who lost loved ones. I cannot imagine what those people on Flight 93 felt or what was going through their minds, knowing what they were about to do. Or what any of those people on those flights must have thought/felt as they realized what was about to happen. I will never get that image of the 2nd plane hitting the WTC or those buildings falling out of my mind.

For months after 9-11-01, I watched CNN right before going to bed and as soon as I woke up (and sometimes if I woke in the middle of the night), just to make sure nothing happened while I was sleeping. I lived in fear for a long time. Sometimes I still get scared when I think of what they could do or try to do next, but it doesn't run my life. I can't stop them.

Seven years later...sometimes it feels longer than that, other times it feels like it was just yesterday...

Never forget.