We Will NEVER Forget

As I sit here today watching the tribute and memorial, I am brought back to Tuesday, September 11, 2001. I remember waking up next to Grant, getting ready for our normal day. I turned on the TV and gasped. That was the day that the world changed for me. At first, I was shocked at the hatred that one must have to take all those lives...but then, slowly, I was reminded of how much love there is in the world. How many heroes we have. How many friends we have. I watched in terror as the Pentagon was hit. I was stunned at Flight 93, and I was terrified as the Twin Towers fell. Then I was amazed as I watched the New York Police, The New York Fireman, and countless others run back INTO the destruction hoping to find survivors. I watched in awe as military members and first responders run INTO the fire engulfed Pentagon. Days later as the story of Flight 93 came to light, I felt an overwhelming love for those passengers. I realized, that we, even in the worst of times, have the ability to save another life. I realized that the human spirit is greater than any evil that exists. For days the world watched the American Spirit, in all it's glory. The world watched as America pulled together. The world watched as we, once again, became "One Nation Under God, Indivisible.." The world watched as Americans remembered where we came from, what we believe in, as a nation.
I remember the sadness I felt over the loss of life. My heart ached for those who perished, wondering what what was going through their minds as death approached. And then, I knew, even without seeing it, that those people were not alone in the end. They had others with them..they had angels, arms encircling them, guiding them to Heaven. I realized that they had peace at the end.
These people would forever be etched in our minds, in our history. The world will always remember 9/11.
Today, I am honoring all those who survived. Today, I am honoring all those who didn't. Today I am honoring the heroes of September 11, 2001. "These are not lives that were taken, these are lives that were given."