Eleven Years Later

I still remember exactly where I was, what I was doing, and what was going on around me when I heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center in NYC. I was in 7th grade and in my Social Studies class and the teacher received a call and promptly turned on the news. Everyone in the class was working on our world map projects, but was soon engulfed into the scene unfolding on that little monitor. About five minutes later the principal announced for the teachers to please turn off their TVs and go back to routine daily work. At that point, there was not going to be a routine daily work...and none of the teachers through out the day had us do anything much, and they left their TVs on. I remember at lunch time sitting with my group of friends discussing it, and arguing with one girl as we tried to figure out what country had done it. We had just finished discussing Pearl Harbor in one of the classes, and the kamikaze Japanese pilots, and I blurted out "what if it was the Japanese?" Of course, that started a heated argument with her because she had been to Japan and said that the people weren't like that anymore. Oh how I didn't realize how stupid our seventh grade ramblings were... I remember after school coming home and my mom already being there. We sat on the couch cuddling for hours (which was something I never did with my mom) watching the news and I remember her stroking my hair for comfort as tears streamed down her face....

Since I was younger, I didn't have the affect of pre-9/11 freedoms taken away as much, but I do remember post-9/11 flights. We were living in Madison, WI at the time and I would fly to visit my dad once or twice a year in Charlotte, NC. I remember how different it was after the attacks...all the extra security and feeling scared of the unknown.

I look back now, at the age of understanding everything that happened that day, and going to be a mother soon myself, I understood what feels were surging through my mom; and everyone else in America. I hope that my child and future children will never have to see a day where all certainties are stripped out of our hands, and no where feels safe.

Today I did a patriotic photo shoot with one of my friends in honor of all of the men and women who lost their lives that day, and those who are still serving our country.

I'm also doing a shoot tomorrow with a few other people, including fire fighters and police officers. I hope that the images I produced today and will produce tomorrow give them strength and courage and know that America and her people support their service!!

9/11/01 - We will NEVER forget!