It's such a odd thing to try and not think about September 11. I try not to think about it a lot because it makes me so emotional. Sometimes it feels like it's been more than 9 years.
I do feel it's important that everyone stop, remember where they were, how they felt and think of everyone who died that day.
Here is my story.
I was headed to Art History with my suite mate Lacey. We were walking past the cafeteria, across the quad on our way to class. Lacey loved NYC and her mom called her while we were walking. She told Lacey that someone flew into a building in "her city". We thought it was odd but pictured a tiny little one person plane. We got to class to didn't think about it.
Right at the end of class our Art Dept Head, Dr. Miley, came into our class which was really odd. He went to the front and immediately said, "There's been a terrorist attack on NYC. They have flown planes into the World Trade Center." I felt like I was in the movie The Matrix, slow motion. I remember turning to my right. My wonderful friend Kristin was bawling already. Her father is a pilot for United so she started freaking about where he was. Dr. Miley basically let us leave but I vaguely remember how and why I went to my next class. In a daze I walked across campus to my English class. In there the prof had already pulled in a TV and turned on the news. Everyone sat in silence. I was watching and saw the second plane crash into the second tower. I couldn't believe it. My immediate thought was of the people that just died instantly. I started sobbing and ran to the bathroom. I passed a girl on her cell phone screaming trying to get a hold of family. I composed myself slightly, went back to the classroom and we were told to go to the chapel. Like a bunch of zombies, the student body attempted to fit into the auditorium all at once. There we were given the same information that we had just learned on TV. Then we just all prayed. Everyone holding each other, crying and praying. After we left I went back to my room and turned on the TV. I remember everyone describing the guilt we all felt. We all couldn't bring ourselves to turn the TV off but it killed us to watch it.
The weeks, months and years following have always been hard when I think about that day and what happened.
Today I was at the Women of Faith Conference in Philadelphia. Sandy Patti finished her set with "God Bless America".
ReplyDeletethe Wells Fargo Center was filled with 11,000 women who spontaneosly stood and sang it with her- the tears were flowing-but we were so unified as Americans, and proud.