Five years ago today, I was beginning my freshman year of college. I spent most of the morning quickly rushing around to get ready...running a bit behind from the late night of pulling harmless pranks on 2nd floor friends! While I'm usually a fan of watching Matt & Katie (now Meridith) in the morning, it just wasn't going to happen today.
Grabbing my books & shoving them in my bag as I made a quick exit, I headed outside my college dorm to my block classes for the day. There was a different kind of buzz around campus as I walked outside. From across the parking lot someone was yelling out that one of the towers in New York was hit.
"Hit? By what?" I thought to myself.
"It's all over the news," they continued.
Forgetting all about my mission of getting to class on time, I rushed back into my dorm, ran up three flights of stairs, & arrived out of breath on my floor to girls gathering by the dozens around the big tv in the lounge. Mesmerized, we sat watching a thick cloud of smoke pour out from the tower. Still listening for the story of what happened, we see another plan flying across the screen & then, more smoke, this time from the second tower.
"What is happening?"
"Who's responsible?"
"Are there more planes on their way?"
Then, minutes later, both towers come crumbling down. The reality sets in of all those people who would've still been inside. What about the people on the planes? Did I know anyone? How could this happen?
The emotions are just as real today. Lives were lost, heroes were made, & a nation was brought to its knees. Let's not forget those who were affected in more ways than we could possibly understand. Let's not forget those who gave their lives to save others. Let's not forget how far we've come. Let's not forget.
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