In Remembrance

You could say that I should have posted this yesterday, and in essence you would be right. 9/11 is our generation's Kennedy Assassination. We all remember where we were and what we were doing at the time it happened.

But I'm posting this today because while I remember and I will never forget how tragic that day was 9/13 affects me more. So by posting today I'm spanning the two.

When 9/11 happened I was still in college. It was the summer between my junior and senior years and I was out visiting my parents in Kansas. My step mom and I had taken my little brother and sister to school that morning and then went back home and turned on the Today show while we planned that day's adventure. And then we saw it, as you all did you yourselves at one point or another. And we sat in shock just watching, not even being able to fully comprehend the horror and tragedy so many people and families were going through. It affected us but luckily it didn't happen to us. To my family it only serves as a reminder to not take things for granted.

And then that day they grounded all flights and I remember them showing on tv as the airspace over America cleared of all the green dots that signified planes in the sky. And this made me kind of freak out inside because I was scheduled to fly back to Oregon on September 13th to make it back in time to go to college. It made me freak out because they had used planes and also I hadn't left a ton of time between getting back to Oregon and starting my last year of college.

I have been flying since I was wee high and it had never scared me until this point. I had never worried about the plane I was on crashing or any other issue. But this brought people's free will into it, and to know that people had successfully done this changed that.

Amazingly the airports reopened on the day I was scheduled to fly home. There was a huge backlog of people stranded and plenty of flights were canceled. There was no guarantee that I was going anywhere that day. I was nervous as my step mom and I got ready to go to the airport that morning and we left ridiculously early (which was barely enough time). The lines were amazing but luckily my flights were not canceled (I had two and I'm pretty sure it was miraculous that neither one was canceled and that I also hadn't been bumped off) and I made it through the 2-3 hour wait in line to get to my plane. The air was electric and there was a camaraderie in every airport as though we were all one tribe. Everyone talked to everyone, everyone got along and helped others out. I've never felt or seen anything like it since. Every time there was even the smallest amount turbulence we held our collective breath. Remembering 9/11 so fresh in our minds and wondering if what were feeling was normal or if were becoming a part of it.

This is my remembrance of that day. It's what comes to mind when I think 9/11 and it makes me think of the best in people.