My September 11th

There are very few days in a person's life that they will remember absolutely every detail of. Baptisms, weddings, births of children/grandchildren, and tragedies. I think (and hope) the September 11, 2001 is a day that we never forget. Here's my story of this day 7 years ago:

I was 13 years old and had been living in Connecticut for a grand total of 15 days. I knew nothing about the east coast except that New York and Washington DC were both located on it. I was in Mrs. Keeler's science class when the first plane hit. We however didn't have the TV on so we didn't know anything was happening until the bell rang about 15 minutes later and the buzz through the hallway spread like wildfire. I remember being so confused. People were telling me the Pentagon had been hit. I remember asking someone what the Pentagon was, I didn't know. I didn't know what the World Trade Center was or had even ever heard of it. Five minutes of passing time goes by and I'm sitting in Miss Tozzo's drama class. We are all gathered around the TV watching the news coverage. They are showing a live feed of the burning WTC, then all of a sudden...a plane comes in from the side of the screen and crashes into eh building. The reactions in the room from a bunch of 8th graders were mixed as you can imagine. Some laughed because that's what people sometimes do when they don't know how to react. Some people weren't paying any attention because the were too busy messing around doing whatever 8th graders do. I was awestruck and dumbfounded. I didn't know what to think, I didn't know what was going on and what people were talking about, and I remember being absolutely mortified by the people laughing. People were saying that the terrorists could be headed for Haddam (the town of my high school) because of the nuclear plant there. I realized after a few minutes that my dad was supposed to be flying out that morning on a business trip. I called from school (I can't remember if I talked to my mom or dad) and found out that he hadn't left and obviously wasn't going anywhere for a while. Miss Tozzo turned the TV off a little while after and then the loudspeaker came on instructing us that we were to resume with the normal day's activities. I can't remember the rest of the day until I was out of school. We were still living in a hotel at the time and so I wasn't taking the bus home from school yet, my mom was picking me up. Waiting at the door, my mom was a few minutes late, I talked with a high schooler. He told me that all their classes for the day were cancelled and they sat and watched the reports. I remember being jealous because our teachers had kept us out of the loop so much for the whole day. Mom showed up and jumped out of car. As we embraced it was the first time that I cried the whole day. I was scared. It was hard being the new kid, new to the east coast, new to everything, and feeling like we just moved into a war zone (I didn't know the distance to NY). Back at the hotel room that afternoon I remember doing homework and laying the bed with my mom watching the TV screen, watching the replay of the plane hit the building again and again. Saying out loud, "what have moved to? What did we get ourselves into?"

It was an impressionable day and will be with me always. I am so grateful for the men and women that are protecting the country. Thousands have given their lives to fight against the injustice that was done here, one of which attended my high school. Remember them in your prayers, and please don't forget what happened 7 years ago.