A Day of Remembrance

It was 5 years ago today that I was standing on the balcony of my upper west side apartment looking south at more smoke than you can imagine. I had been awaken by a phone call from a friend in Atlanta..."Are you awake? Turn on the television!" I quickly realized that I would forever be a part of history.

Living in New York on September 11, 2001 would put me in that special category. The one that says, "I was there. I saw the second plane. I heard the sirens. I breathed in the smoke." I frantically called every friend I had in New York. Thankfully, no one I knew was harmed, but the city was shocked silent. I walked the streets that afternoon. Passed hundreds of closed store fronts. Something rarely seen in the city. People walking aimlessly...all thinking the same thing...all talking about the same thing...all crying about the same thing. How could this happen to us? Where do we go from here?

On September 12th, I visited a girlfriend who was living in SoHo. Much closer to the site than my apartment. We wore face masks and made our way to Canal St., which was the furthest point south they were allowing anyone. In fact, you had to be a nearby resident to even get there. We sat in silence with about 100 other people watching truck after truck of enormous debris get hauled off. At one point my friend and I looked at each other and said, "None of these look like they are carrying bodies and where are all the ambulances? Where are all the people?" It wasn't until that moment that we realized not only had the city changed, but the lives of thousands and thousands of families would forever be scarred by the loss of a loved one.

For those of us left behind...it's important on this day to not only remember who and what we lost, but also remind ourselves how much we love those who are still here. Stand proud to be an American, but also as a mother, daughter, sister and friend. Express to everyone you care about that you love and cherish them because as we all learned just a few years ago...the time we have is precious.