9/11 I remember…

This post is a bit of a departure from my normal homeschool science tips, but on a day like today, I want to honor the memory of those who gave their lives on such a tragic day.

I remember the day started out perfectly normal, I went to work just as always.

I remember the phone call from my husband that my manager was handing to me, which was strange because he never called me on the work line.

I remember the crack in his voice as he asked me if I had heard from my brother who was attending NYU at the time.

I remember the confusion I felt as he explained why. How the towers had been hit. The US had been attacked. The President’s motorcade had just drove by his office as he was being whisked away to a safe location.

I remember the busy tone that I kept getting as I tried to reach my brother.

I remember trying to figure out where the NYU campus was in relation to the World Trade Center.

I remember the tone of my Dad’s voice as we worried about where my brother was and if he was ok.

I remember being glued to the TV as I watched people running from the debris, and fire fighters running towards it. I remember desperately searching the faces – alternating between hoping I did and hoping I didn’t recognize one of them.

I remember praying that no one I knew was a part of the mess that was unfolding before my eyes. I knew people who worked at the Pentagon. I knew people who lived in New York City, my own brother was one of them.

I remember the relief that flooded my heart when we finally heard from my brother that night. He was blocks away from the site and completely fine.

I remember how my heart sank when I found out that my mom’s best friend had lost her husband that day. He wasn’t usually there, but on that particular day he was in one of the towers for a managers meeting. He was killed instantly when the plane hit just floors below where he sat that morning.

I remember crying with a nation as we mourned the thousands of people we never knew and the few we did.

I remember rejoicing as the reports came in of those who were rescued from the rubble.

I remember President Bush’s face as he addressed the nation.

I remember the weeks afterward when flags lined every street and the response to the tragedy was overwhelming.

I will continue to remember.

I will share my memory of this day with my children once again on the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

I will never forget what happened that day and I consider it an honor to make sure that this next generation doesn’t forget either.