A young girl comes to grips over what happened on September 11, 2001, and what she remembers most about that horrible day.
The day is fast approaching. It is now the fourth of August, and in about a month will mark a very sad time in our history.
September 11, 2003 will mark the second-year anniversary of the day where America was attacked by terrorists, changing our world as we knew it forever.
The day to which I speak of is none other than September 11, 2001, when our country was attacked by foreign terrorists who have absolutely no respect for human or human life. All they care about is hurting innocent people in a way so horrible I still can't believe that they could be so evil and full of hate!
On that day, two planes flew into the twin World Trade Center towers in New York City, New York, another plane hit the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and another plane, on its way to the White House, crashed into a field in Pennsylvania, thanks to the heroic efforts by a man named Todd Beamer. Even though he and the other people on the plane all died, he saved lives at the White House by purposely crashing the plane into the field, so the White House wouldn't be hit. All these people on the planes died, as did people in the World Trade Centers (which then fell about an hour later, trapping those inside), the Pentagon, and the ones on that plane that crashed into the field. Over 1,000 people died that day, and it was the single worst event in our nation's history.
Of course, people were shocked and horrified at the events unfolding on their tv sets; I was. I remember I was in the second grade, and I remember asking daddy what had happened, and he told me that some very bad people who hate America attacked our country, and now we were on the brink of war. It upset me terribly, and all I could do was cry because I thought we were going to get hit next. I kept on having nightmares, and it was hard for me to sleep. I also remember wanting to stay home from school, but I couldn't, so I went to school, a very sad little girl. It ended up we were sent home about 10:30 or so; and we had the rest of the day off. We also missed school the rest of that week, and we went back the following Monday.
(Daddy was home from work that day; but mommy was at work when it happened. In fact, she was the one who had called daddy to tell him what had happened. Thought I had better straighten this out.)
I also remember the new kid in our class; she had come to our class like only the day before, and she was from Saudi Arabia; and I was scared for her because I thought people would be mean to her because she was Muslim. Some people WERE mean, but then they got into trouble, and now they don't bother Fahid anymore. I have been friends with Fahid Al Mohammed ever since, and she is really nice, even though she is a Muslim while I am a Christian.
I remember the look of horror and shock on her face; and I remember the teacher telling us about what had happened. Because of what had happened, school was then cancelled for the rest of the day, and we then went on home, where we either watched the news on tv, prayed (which I did), or cried (I did that, too). I remember I was feeling sick, and I was having a hard time with my breathing, plus my arthritis was acting up. We then went to our church, where we all prayed and cried together for the tragic event that had hit our nation earlier in the day. We were all feeling scared, and we didn't know what would happen next--or WHEN. We needed to find some comfort in God; and this was why we went to church. The church, was, as I remember, quite crowded; there was hardly any place to sit, and there was a lot of crying going on. Even Pastor Bilkey was crying.
Now it is nearly two years later, and terrorists still threaten us. Al Quaeda was the one behind those attacks on September 11, 2001 (and other attacks around the world), and the world is no longer a safe place anymore. We were at war with Iraq (still are; there are still some of our forces over there, and quite a few have been killed), and people like Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden are still around, causing trouble.
I still don't sleep at night as well as I used to, and I still sometimes suffer from nightmares, especially since I knew a lady who had worked in the towers and died there. She died when the first plane hit (it hit on her floor, and she had been instantly killed, but it took a few days to find that out). Her name was Stephanie Green, and she was a friend to our family and also to our friend, M'buti Moore-Sormiento. The last time I saw her was at M'buti and Roberto's wedding at our house. She was a very nice person, and she didn't deserve to die the way she did.
Ever since September 11, 2001, I am no longer the same. In fact, NOBODY is the same; September 11, 2001, changed all of us in a way that no other event ever has. I am more wiser now, and I now know that the world is a unsafe and often dangerous place; and that the world is full of bad people bent on hurting innocent people. I also have been doing an awful lot of writing; I have written quite a few stories and poems about September 11, 2001, and other things that have gone on in my life. Writing down my feelings has really helped me in ways that a lot of people can't, even my very own family.
God has blessed me in so many ways, and writing and singing are just two of the ways that He has blessed me. I have been fortunate to have been able to express my innermost feelings, and I think that I have been able to heal faster than a lot of people because of this. Sure, I will never forget that horrible day, September 11, 2001, but all I CAN do is pray that it doesn't happen again, and pray for our country and our world, and our leaders. I can pray for God's Protecting Hand over our world, and I can pray for comfort and peace.
Very poignant, Karen. I'm busy getting ready for the school year to begin, forgot about Sept. 11th.
Just yesterday, I was looking at Go-Go's "Apple print". She was in pre-k, and we still have it up because the teacher dated all their art work. On Sept. 11th 2001, my daughter was doing apple prints. :)
The day is fast approaching. It is now the fourth of August, and in about a month will mark a very sad time in our history.
