9/11: Never Forget

Hey guys. I hope you've enjoying your weekend.

I didn't want to let September 11th come without talking about it here on the blog. We all have our story of "this is where I was on 9/11" and this is mine.

I was in the first semester of my sophomore year at the University of Iowa. Each morning, as I got ready for class, I would have the morning news on in the background. I turned on the TV and saw the footage after the first plane hit the tower. Of course, most of us watching didn't realize what was happening yet. I thought - Oh no, how sad. Probably a private plane or helicopter that crashed into the building. Maybe, I thought, the pilot had a heart attack and the crash was unavoidable. Of course tragic, but terrorism was the absolute LAST thing on my mind.

That is, until I saw the 2nd plane hit as I watched live. And in a second, I knew this was not an accident.

The rest of the day was a blur. We heard about the third plane hitting the Pentagon, and then how the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. I just remember feeling scared, and numb. I remember how none of us wanted to be alone, and so nearly all the girls on our dorm floor crowded into one room, and watched TV all day.

So tomorrow we're at the 15 year anniversary. I still can't watch documentaries about 9/11, or movies such as Flight 93. My deepest love and prayers go out to those who lost loved ones, and those who lived on the East Coast on that fateful day and lived through the nightmare.

But do you know what I also remember, as vividly as the terror?

I remember how you could NOT find an American flag anywhere. Every flag, from tiny ones that kids wave at parades, to giant ones you'd fly on top of buildings, were sold out. In every single store. They were flying from people's cars, homes, businesses, porches. It was an incredibly powerful visual image.

I remember how tender and kind everyone was to each other, in the weeks that followed.

So tomorrow, please say a prayer for the victims, their families, the first responders, and those who lived in NY, DC and PA during that terrible day. Keep them close to your heart and in your mind as you go about your day.

God bless you all. And God Bless the USA. We will never forget.