9/11

Today is the seventh anniversary of 9/11. I feel a little bad that I was annoyed when I was awoken this morning by church bells because today is my day off and I really wanted to sleep in. I had forgotten that today was September 11th, so you can imagine how absolutely terrible I felt when I turned on my TV and the ceremony for the anniversary and on. I turned it on to hear a New York City cop, who joined the force in honor of her father who died when the towers fell. She was followed by a two sons of a maintenance man and then a family from Japan, who flew to New York to honor their father who was working for a Japanese company who had an office in the World Trade Center. I was in tears, so I turned on MTV for something shallow and with no redeeming quality to it.

It got me started thinking about 9/11 seven years ago. I was a freshman in college and I was in my third week of school. I had an early morning class and I had decided that I would go back to my dorm room and take a nap before my next class. I got on the bus and there were guys talking about how the United Nations got bombed or something, I was only partly paying attention but it made me curious. I got back to my dorm room just in time to see the second plane fly into the second tower. I didn't take a nap that day or do much else. I don't think that I even went to class for the rest of the day. I do remember watching it in disbelief. It was like a bad movie but I knew it was real. I was still somehow removed from it. I was in the safe Midwest, what could happen to me here. Well, now I am living in the city where it happen. My friend Justine, from work told me a week ago, that she's not afraid of hurricane's or other storms that if there is going to be a tragedy it's going to be an another terrorist attack. But I can't worry about that. I have moved to New York to experience something new and not get all schmaltzy on you but it would be a disservice to the memory of those we lost if you are always looking over our shoulders every time we leave our homes.

So, today is a day of remembrance. A day to remember our lowest of day and maybe one of our brightest because for one day, one week, we as a nation and as a world, came together to help and support each other. The attacks on the World Trade Center may have happen on US soil but it was attack on the developed world. People from all over the world died when the towers fell and that should not be forgotten. We need to remember who connected we are to our other countries and if we are to survive we must learn to live with each other. We may be struggling here in the US, with the economy but we must not forget those who are suffering around the world too. 9/11 brought us all together. Let's hope it doesn't take another tragedy to do it again.

Edit: I am looking at my window at Manhattan and I can see the spotlights representing the two towers. It's a very sobering thought to think that if I had moved here seven years earlier, I would have a view of the twin towers.