Life has really been set into perspective the past week or so. Growing up has been on the back of my mind for a while now, and I'd like to hope that I'm coming to terms with it. And the thing that really got me thinking about it was the 10th anniversary of 9/11. It was half a lifetime ago for me. I was a child when it happened, and I guess knowing that 10 years has gone by since that day has really opened my eyes.
9/11 was the first moment I witnessed true evil in the world. Before then, I had heard about all the awful things that happen out there, but it was never here... I remember believing that nothing bad could ever happen on our soil because we lived in America.
Nothing could touch us.
Nothing could touch us.
I still remember walking into my 5th grade class that September day and seeing the tears on my teacher's face as we all sat and watched the second tower come down. For months after, we were blasted with images and stories of everything that happened that day. I remember watching the news a few days after as they showed bodies strewn in the rubble and families posting pictures of their loved ones on walls that seemed to stretch on forever. And even though I didn't know anyone who died that Tuesday morning, I still cry every single year for them.
I watched the memorial service that was held at Ground Zero on Sunday morning and it made me realize that life truly does go on. They talked about finally healing the scar on the New York skyline as the Freedom Tower went up story by story, replacing the void left empty for so long. The majority of all the police, firemen and other rescue workers have all retired. The man responsible is rotting at the bottom of the ocean. And at the same time, that day will never be forgotten. It will be on the back of everyone's mind forever. I thought about what life will be like in another 10 years... I will probably be teaching my kids about what came out of the clear blue sky that day. And I will teach them that life goes on. And we can either choose to hang onto the past and let it consume us, or keep facing each new day and make the best out of what God has given us.
Never forget.
