I wrote this piece for my college writing and thinking course. The point of this assignment was to pick one event in your years of life that had the most impact on your life. I chose September 11, 2001, the day the Twin Towers and other parts of the United States were attacked.
September 11, 2001, was a very tragic day in the United States and left a scar for many of us. Families lost loved ones, businesses were destroyed, people were permanently injured, mentally and physically, and so much more. On the morning of September 11, 2001, many business men and women commuted into New York City for another day of work. They were preparing for important meetings, presentations, interviews, etc. Little did they know that their lives would soon be changed forever. My dad was one of these people.
My family and I live in Allendale, New Jersey, a small town in Bergen County about a 40-minute drive from Manhattan. My dad owned a maritime insurance company about two blocks away from the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. The morning of September 11 was just like any other morning. I was almost four years old and my younger brother was only eight months old, so my mom was getting me ready for school and my dad was getting ready for work.
I asked my dad about how he recalls this morning. “I woke up, had breakfast, took the train into New York City, went up to my office on Trinity Place, two blocks south of the World Trade Center," he said.
Everything was normal that day, then it all changed. “I just finished my first cup of coffee shortly before 9:00 a.m. and that was the first plane hit the tower." Nobody knew what was happening. My dad ran for cover under his desk. Then, when the second plane hit the towers, my dad ran for his life. There was a daycare center in the basement of his building, so when every adult in his building was leaving they had to grab a child. My dad grabbed a little Chinese girl and just kept running towards the water. There was smoke everywhere and everything was chaos. Luckily, my dad was able to catch the last ferry off the island and was able to get to safety. Once my dad made it to his friend’s apartment, he called my mom and told her to take my brother, herself and me to our house in Maine so we could be safe. If it were not for his timing with leaving the building and catching the ferry, my dad probably would not be here today.
I am so blessed and lucky that my dad was able to survive. Many others were not, though. There were 2,996 people were killed and more than 6,000 were injured. My friend’s dad passed away in the attacks because he was a firefighter and put the life of so many others before his own. This day is so important to me because it made me realize how lucky I am to have my dad and how lucky it is to be alive. Everything can change in the blink of an eye and without any warning. September 11, 2001 made me realize the importance of this quote, “In the blink of an eye, everything can change. So forgive often and love with all your heart. You may never know when you may not have the chance again” (Unknown).
