In Memory of 9/11/01...

"Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?"

I remember where I was. Mrs. Ward's eighth grade IMAST class, my first class of the day. Mrs. Ward had been told by one of the neighboring teachers that a plane had struck one of the towers of the WTC, but she told us that we had too much work to do to watch the news. As she flipped the television on and searched for that day's video, we all watched in sheer horror as the second plane struck the tower. The same footage that millions of other people witnessed live on television as well. My mother was at conference at the corporate office she then worked for, watching the terror unfold on the huge projection screens around the cafeteria.

That was the moment that everyone across the nation realized that our country was under attack. I remember watching my teacher's face crumple into tears, and all she could repeat was, "Oh my God..." before she was at a loss for words. The rest of the day, all any of us could do was watch.. Watch to see what happened next... Watch to see how many lives were lost... How many were saved... Watch to see if anyone we knew could have been involved...

We learned that the two planes that struck the towers originated from Logan Airport in Boston. I quickly thought of my Uncle Steve, my dad's brother, then a pilot out of Boston... and the rest of the day, all I did was worry about him. Was he piloting one of those flights? What were his daughters, my cousins, thinking right then?

Thankfully, he wasn't among those lost that day... But so many other's loved ones were. So many families watched the terror that unfolded that day, the tragedies that claimed so many innocent lives. So many families lost beloved family members among the violence, wreckage and debris. The aftermath left our nation with a deep void... So many questions, so many broken hearts...

It has since been 8 years. Through all of the chaos, progress and changes that our nation has endured in the wake of that dreadful day, we've continued to remember this date each year, taking time to honor the victims of 9/11 and pay tribute to those who have given their lives since then.

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Yellowcard - Believe

Think about the love inside the strength of heart
Think about the heroes saving life in the dark
Climbing higher through the fire, time was running out
Never knowing you weren't going to be coming down alive
But you still came back for me
You were strong and you believed

Everything is gonna be alright
Be strong. Believe.

Think about the chance I never had to say
Thank you for giving up your life that day
Never fearing, only hearing voices calling out
Let it all go, the life that you know, just to bring it down alive
And you still came back for me
You were strong and you believed

Everything is gonna be alright
Be strong. Believe.

(Again today, we take into our hearts and minds those who perished on this site one year ago, and also those who came to toil in the rubble to bring order out of chaos, to help us make sense of our despair)

Wanna hold my wife when I get home
Wanna tell the kids they'll never know how much I love to see them smile
Wanna make a change or two right now
Wanna live a life like you somehow
Wanna make your sacrifice worthwhile

Everything is gonna be alright
Be strong. Believe.

Everything is gonna be alright
Be strong. Believe.

Think about the love inside the strength of heart
Think about the heroes saving life in the dark
Think about the chance I never had to say
Thank you for giving up your life that day

(The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here)

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*In memory of those who lost their lives on 9/11/01 -- We'll NEVER forget*