I spend every September 11th praying that no one has forgotten that day.
It's been 8 years now. 8. That's a long time. Every year, 2001 gets further and further away and I worry that people will forget. It just doesn't seem like it has been that long and it makes my insides hurt. My heart is heavy today.
Here are the things I remember about that day.
-Being stuck in the subway underneath Manhattan on the way to work because all the subways were stopped. Because I worked in news, I knew there was breaking news, but I didn't know how big or what it was. I just knew I was late for work.
-Stepping into the newsroom to watch the second tower fall and realizing the scope of what was happening just blocks away from where I was.
-Calling my mother immediately just to tell her I was ok. All this was happening while I was on the subway and I had no idea.
-Spending the next week or so stranded on Manhattan because the bridges were closed. That's ok because we were working 20 hours a day anyway.
-Being terrified of more attacks.
-Working around the clock on autopilot.
-The smell of the white smoke that hovered over lower Manhattan for months.
-Borrowing clothes from one of my dearest friends who I with because I couldn't go home. Yes, even underwear.
-Crying. A lot. For a long, long time afterward.
-Praying. A lot.
-Buying three suits for my dad from a struggling business in lower Manhattan across the street from where the towers stood.
-Papers. Millions of papers scattered all over the streets and in a church yard behind the towers.
-Memorials of flowers, "Missing" posters, and candlelight vigils.
-The camraderie of New Yorkers forever after and the collective suspicion.
-Sadness. Sadness fell on New York for a very long time. It was in everyone's face. Joking and smiling just all felt very wrong.
-The patriotism. We were all American and proud.
Do me a favor. Stop for just one second today and say a prayer for the families of all the victims and the rescuers lost that day and the thousands who still suffer with these memories daily. If you're not the praying type, just a thought or two will do. What do you remember? Where were you?
Please don't forget this day. Never ever forget this day.
I know I won't.
Friday
Remembering
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