story9398.xml

story9398.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2003-07-31

The morning of September 11, I rolled out of my bunk bed and stumbled to our freshmen dorm floor bathroom. Coming back to our room, my roommate and I talked about the bubble of college. "No one knows what is going on in the world," said my roommate. "We could be going to war today and we would never know it." Little did we know that after this day our world would never be the same. I walked across campus to my class, hurrying a little so I wouldn't be late. As I walked in the door I knew something was wrong. Everyone was gathered around a fuzzy television. Someone turned around and said, "We think something was bombed in New York. Someone in our dorm saw it on their TV as I was leaving." I joined the circle around the news just as the coverage was interupted by a scene I'll always remember--an airplane careening through the second Twin Tower. We all stood in shock, not knowing how to react. Soon classes were cancelled and we were herded to the chapel where we watched the news coverage on the big screen. After an hour of prayer for what was going on, we walked back to our dorms in a daze of confusion. The next few days I wandered around struggling with fear and confusion. Why were we attacked? Would my friends be sent to war? What would happen next? The first time I went home to Chicago after 9/11 I saw the Sears Tower in a new light. I suddenly had a new understanding, a slight glimpse of how the people of New York felt. Their ground had been trampled on, their turf invaded, their people lost. As time progressed I realized that this spoke for the entire heart of America. OUR turf was invaded, OUR ground trampled on, OUR people lost. While the Twin Towers may not have been a familiar landmark in everyone's life, they were an icon of America and the whole of America had been attacked. Now more than a year later, life is different. To an extent every day that passes is an ordinary day. People still go to work; people will still eat their meals. By continuing with our everyday lives we are not allowing terrorism to ruin the lives of our country. Still, life IS different. There is a reflective spirit in the air that ponders the value of lives that have been lost and the course of action that has ensued since 9-11. The event has brought a valuable chance for us to reflect and appreciate those around us. The events that took place on September 11, 2001, still hurt. Our country will never be the same. Still, we can stop and take a moment, remembering to be thankful that we live in a free country, remembering to be thankful for those who work to guard our country and remembering all those who have died for the freedoms we have.