Where was I? I'll tell you

It's like asking some one over the age of 50, "Where were you when Kennedy was shot?" or your grandparents, "Where were you when Pearl Harbor was attacked?" Now the question is "Where were you on September 11th, 2001?"



I was at school, like most people my age, except This was different for me, as well as anyone who was born on either the 10th, 11th, or 12th. I was on that emotional high that comes with a new page turned in your life. I'd turned another year old the day before. It was a Tuesday. That meant I had Spanish with Mrs. Garcia I remember I was sitting close to the door when one of the teachers came in to tell her that something had happened and to turn on the news. Then you saw it, the building in flames, smoke filling into the air. I actually thought nothing of it at the time. I had heard about the Mitchell that had flown into the Empire State building one morning. Then a flash of yellow and orange, and the thoughts of an accidental occurrence left everyone's minds.

Spanish ended, next was drafting with my favorite teacher, Coach Sawyer. We walked into class, and no one was smiling, everyone was silent. He told us that if we wanted to work on our projects we could, but we didn't have to. The rest of the day was a blur. I got home and I can't remember anything else from that day.

The size of this never actually hit me for almost a year. I was visiting my brother and sister in the NY area and we decided to walk by the tow...craters. The sheer size of them put things in perspective. Then I saw them, the black plaques placed at the tops of the fences, 4 or 5 names on each for the entire perimeter around the block. I felt the lump in my throat start to build up. I started to walk away, but I couldn't take it and I dropped to my knees. Seeing the sheer size and affect this had was just too much.

God's speed to all who were lost that day, and God Bless to the men on the flight that was downed in PA.


"How do you pick up the pieces of an old life? How do you go on? When in your heart you begin to understand, there is no going back. There are some things that time cannot mend. Some hurts go too deep, and they've taken hold...It will never really heal." J.R.R. Tolkien