I found this picture on Pinterest this morning, and my mind has been reflecting ever since. I thought back to where I was on that horrific day. I will never forget it. It was my senior year of high school, and I was in the auditorium for drama. Our teacher was always cracking jokes and was the first to tell us about the first plane crash. I was convinced it was part of an act and had difficulty soaking it all in. There was an eery silence when we all realized it was the truth, and during the rest of the day, we watched it all unfold on the news. I remember feeling terrified because there were so many unanswered questions at the time. During cheerleading, our coach was telling us to leave campus so we could fill up our cars with gas. I think it really put life into perspective for a lot of Americans and unified us as a nation.
Eight years later, I was fortunate enough to take a trip to New York City, and we made a visit to Ground Zero. As we walked the busy streets of NYC, we couldn't help but hear the hustle and bustle of the city; but when we entered the area of where the great tragedy took place, we didn't hear a thing. The only sound I remember were footsteps along the sidewalks. It reminded me of upset fans leaving the end of a Razorback football game that was lost (not near the upset of 9/11 I know, but the silence is definitely comparable). My eyes immediately filled with tears, and my emotions were consumed with sadness as I noticed the hole in the ground. The feelings are indescribable.
I have been watching documentary after documentary on the National Geographic Channel today, and it is so difficult to grasp that it has already been 10 years. However, I get chills when I think about how far we have come and am extremely thankful to live in America.
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