September 11th, 2001
10 years ago
As I remember...
It started as just another typical day of an average 8th grade student.
I woke up a little late and skipped breakfast, as my friends dad was early to pick me up.
The school day began and the class was chipper and talkative as usual; however, that didn't last long.
Math class had just begun and the grunts and frustrations of not understanding these problems seemed like our biggest concern at the time, until Mrs. Chytil (the history teacher next door) came into our room with floods of tears streaming down her face.
*Mrs Chytil was one of those teachers who never showed emotion and was very stern - it was in that moment the class went still and knew something was terribly wrong*
I remember specifically her saying "it's the twin towers".
I looked around at my peers, with a confused look in my face, only to see everyone just completely dazed and confused as well.
Our teacher ran out of the room as we all sat in silence, with a couple speculations about what the twin towers might be...
Management was a word that was thrown out the window that day.
...you see, the seventh and eighth graders had the whole third floor to thenselves, while the K-6 classrooms were on the first and second...
I don't know what was happening on the bottom levels, but I remember just going up and down hallways and sitting in the science classroom as Mr. Colon had CNN playing and everyone just watched in utter disbelief. We asked so many questions, like "what are the twin towers" "what is happening" and so many more...
We were able to leave school whenever our parents/rides were there to pick us up.
I remember the absolute terror of walking outside...it is that feeling you get from the unknown...
We just starred up in that bright sky and just felt very uneasy and vulnerable.
*The one thing that I clearly remember is the bright sky and gentle breeze*
I couldn't fathom how the sky could look so beautiful when something so dreadful just happened to our nation? The whole way home, I just kept starring, starring at the sky -
I felt the gentle breee again as I got out of the car and my mom picked me up in my arms, squeezing ever so tightly, as she never wanted to let me go. It was in that moment, I felt safe.
Safe, in a sense of comfort - we were still on edge about what could happen next.
What if this, what if that...
The "what-if's" literally flooded my mind.
All that mattered is that if something happened, I was with the one person who mattered most to me in the whole entire world, my mom.
It wasn't until later that night that my and I sat and talked about what is happening.
The people who lost their loved ones, the pain, suffering, and agony of that city...
the list goes on, SO many people were/are affected.
Today is a day, I want to take time to say thank you to all those heroes who risked their life to help serve others, to pray for all the families who lost a loved one, and to never forget that through many heartaches and even in the worst of times, we will prevail.
I believe that good can come from evil -
Throughout that time in our life, for once it wasn't about whether your democrat or republican, gay or straight, rich or poor, we all worked together for a common goal, and that...that was beauty.
My thoughts and prayers are with everyone today
God Bless you all :)
xoxo
