Reflecting on 9/11

That pain in heart, the feeling of your stomach dropping, the anguish - that is how I feel every September 11. Was I there? -no, but it still hurts. Maybe its because my dad got back from the pentagon just two days prior to the attacks, maybe its because he flew American 77 before, maybe its just they immense scale of the tragedy, but every Sept 11 I wake up and feel a pain that is just as intense as it was 13 years ago. I am still that 16 year-old girl that had the breathe sucked out of me when I walked into my living and saw the unfolding attacks. To me, that morning is a blur. I lived on a Navy base at the time, and I remember my dad rushing out the door within minutes. I don't remember where my mom went, but I know it had something to do with base support. I do remember my sister and I sitting side-by-side on the couch glued to the television. At some point we walked over to McDonalds on base to basically just have something to do, to deal with the feeling emptiness I guess. The details I do remember are ridiculous- at McDonalds I got a salad shaker (yes those existed), so ironically can remember what I ate 13 years ago. Finally, the only time I cried was when my mom got home that night and sat with me just to sort out our thoughts. 6 years later, I was able to visit the trade center site. It was absolutely one of the most heart wrenching moments of my life. It was hard to believe something of that magnitude occurred in such a small space. Some of the buildings even kept the damage they accrued as a reminder. If 9/11 wasn't life changing enough, visiting the site it occurred was even more so. I could ramble more, but I won't. The point of this blog is that I still hurt and I will never ever forget. My request to you guys today is to just take a moment to reflect and remember how very lucky we are to be here.