Where Were YOU That September Day?

We all know where we were and what we were doing the moment we heard that a plane had hit the World Trade Center in NYC.

I was a freshmen in high school, sitting in my first period computer class, when an announcement came on letting us know a plane had hit one of the World Trade Centers.

At that point I had no idea why our school was announcing a plane crash over the intercom but the uncertain and odd feeling in the pit of my stomach seemed to tell me that it wasn’t good.

My teacher pulled a TV in from the hallway and turned on the news. As we were all watching, huddled around in horror we watched the second plane hit the second tower and that is when the very very very scary feeling that this wasn’t just a mistake set in.

Watching in  Colorado we were far from the chaos and heartbreak in Manhattan but the fear that our great country was now under attack is a feeling I  will never be able to let go of.

The rest of the day was a blurr of newscasts and teachers trying to explain what was happening.

I remember that night at gymnastics practice there wasn’t a single one of us that didn’t have on one of our red, white and blue  leotards.

We were so proud to stand behind our country and that oddly was the first time I felt our country rally together and be outwardly proud of who we are.

I wish that was a feeling everyone was reminded of on a daily basis.

We are so lucky to be Americans. We are so lucky to have people to fight for our freedoms and it seems only in hard times do we remember how blessed we truly are.

Days like to day, I think about…

Why I am proud to be an American.

I remind myself how I felt on that day.

I am thankful for the men and women brave enough to rush into those buildings to try to save people.

The families that have so  bravely pulled themselves together and kept moving forward after losing a loved one.

That I live in a country that men and women risk their lives everyday for me to feel SAFE and FREE in this country.

That they fight and serve, to allow me to exercise free speech and write this blog, to dream BIG dreams and hopefully accomplish them, to VOTE, to marry who I want and outwardly believe in what I believe in…

I know it is so easy to forget and its something we all take advantage of but its days like today that I remember:

that FREEDOM doesn’t come FREE.

WHERE WERE YOU THAT SEPTEMBER DAY WHEN THE WORLD STOP TURNING?