This day 11 years ago changed each and everyone of our lives forever, some much more than others. But it affected all. As I was sitting in my classroom today watching our high school news show and the memories and moments from that day, it brought me back to that particular day and the impact it had on me and the people around me. I (as will many of you) remember exactly where I was at the exact moment it happened. For me and my classmates, we were some of the last to know. We were in our three hour lab class, where our cell phones had to be completely turned off while we were there. The class started at 8 am and finished at 11. As we were all heading out for the day, 11:00, 2 1/2 hours after the planes had hit someone told us what had happened. None of us could believe it. I quickly headed back to my dorm, and there, my roommate was glued to the tv watching everything on it. I remember it being one of those things where we were all so stunned we didn't know what to do and how to react. We still went to practice that day, (2 of my teammates at the time were from New York, so the news hit pretty hard, but luckily all was okay with their families), and continued on. And as the days progressed, I remember seeing how America came together as a nation and carried on... We will never forget, we will always remember... and we will carry on.
What surprised me the most, today, was it has already been 11 years... where did the time go? It truly seems like just yesterday. I scanned my classroom, looked at the faces around me and realized that this moment that has shaped all of our lives and had such a huge impact, did not impact any of these students nearly as much as us (if at all). These students are 14, 15, 16, and 17 years old... when the planes hit they were anywhere between 3 and 6 years old, but what is cool to see, is they get it... they understand... they know why today is "Patriotic Day" as it says on my google calendar, they talked about it afterwards and we reflected on it. Today is my generation's, "you know exactly where you were when it happened", just like the generation before it was MLK or JFK assassination. My only hope is that my students' generation will never have a "you know exactly where you were when it happened" moment.
If it takes me a little longer to get through the security checkpoints at the airport... I remember why... I don't complain, I just wait... I let them frisk me, I let them look in Breslin's bottles, I let them look into my bags. I don't want a repeat of what has happened before. Hopefully, at some point today, you stopped and reflected. You thought of all of those lives that were taken on this day 11 years ago. Kiss those you love tonight and each and every day after. Tell those you love, you love them. Give hugs when you need to. Never leave on a bad note.. we never know that moment when our last breath is taken... Live life to the fullest with absolutely NO REGRETS.
We Remember. 9/11
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