Ten years ago, the country changed and so did my life.
On September, 11, 2001, I got to go home from school early for a reason teachers would not explain. I didn’t realize until I got home that the reason for leaving school was anything but happy. My mom explained to me that two planes had crashed into the New York City Twin Towers. Even though I was only in fourth grade, I remembered the Towers as being the backdrop for the opening sequence of my favorite tv show, “Friends.”
For me, it was not the actual events that occurred on 9/11 that changed my life but rather the events that happened after it. My faith which I was still trying to figure out exactly what that was, had never been so awed by what happened after 9/11. Churches all over the country were packed as people came to God to ask for protection, safety and prayers. It was amazing to see such a mass exodus of people who had been away from the church return to God in this time of tragedy. For the first time in my life I realized what faith really was and that God never turns his back on anyone. Since then, I have never looked back in my faith in God.
After 9/11 my respect for the military also increased exponentially. I never realized the incredibly tough job soldiers have. They risk their lives every day just to keep the rest of us safe. Ever since that day I have constantly done what I can for soldiers still serving in Iraq. I realized how important it was to send care packages, letters and to help the soldiers in anyway possible. They are to be commended every day and it is to never be forgotten what they did for us and continue to do.
September 11 also taught me about the generosity of people. I watched as firefighters tried to save people from piles of rubble. I heard about the stories of people running into the burning buildings to help others who they didn’t even know. I cried learning about the account of the heroes on flight 93 who called their loved ones to tell them they knew they were going to die and then selflessly took it upon themselves to crash the plane into an empty field so that no one else would have to die. images stay with today and when I see or hear about someone doing something bad, I remember them and that the world is not all bad and there truly are inspiring everyday people out there. I aspire to be like the heroes I watched in those weeks.
Personally I never lost anyone to the war or attacks and I thank God everyday for that. I do however feel the loss for every single person out there and as a country I believe we all carry the burden of loss because of 9/11.
God bless America!