It is one of the hardest days of the year for any American. We can't forget where we were or how we were feeling. I mean, I was only 6 years old, and I remember getting called out of my kindergarten class by my mom because she "needed me to come with her to drop off her car." Looking back, that probably wasn't the best made up excuse, but what are you supposed to say when one of the biggest terrorist attacks on our nation was happening?
As a small child in 2001, it wasn't until years later that I found out what happened. My mom had the news coverage from that day taped on a VHS (remember those?), and I remember her playing it for me. I just remember sitting there not knowing what to do. It's one of those things that even now just typing this I can feel tears well up and trying to stead my shaky hands as I type. How are you supposed to react to something that horrific?
Still today it's a hard topic to talk about. I remember going to the 9/11 museum a couple summers ago, and let me tell you it is a unique experience. The most powerful thing about it is something you wouldn't expect: it's not the news clips from that day playing on a loop, it's not the plan and how it was executed by Al Qaeda, it's not the clothes from people who were at the twin towers, it's the absolute, complete, could hear a pin drop silence. You can just feel the mood in the room go from cheerful tourists in NYC to mourning and sadness and respect for everyone that day. It's unbelievable.
So where does that leave us today? It's a day that unites us all. It's a day we remember those who lost their lives and the first responders who ran into the flames. It's not an easy day, you can almost feel it in the air, even 15 years later. This is a day where we put things aside, all of a sudden, Kaepernick sitting during the national anthem might not mean as much to you, we come together as a nation. And while we've had some ups and downs as a nation, on this day we remember how much we love this country, how thankful we are for police, fire fighters, EMTs and all first responders. Here's hoping we live in a world one day where we don't have to show our 10 year old child footage of the terror attacks that you pulled them out of school for 5 years prior.
