story988.xml

story988.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-08-07

I heard of the attacks from my parents who were in LA. They called me that morning as I was walking out the door and said that planes had crashed into the world trade center in New York, that someone was blowing up buildings. It didn't make sence, I thought at first it was a joke, but I then turned on the tv and realized it was real You can always tell the intensity of a situation by the reporters voice, especially this time, I could hear fear.

I will be honest and say that September 11th has not changed my life like others. I have never been to New York or knew anyone involved in 9-11. It was'nt close to home in a deep touching way that I saw other people feeling. But I held my daughter a little closer that night, I watched the sky all day, I'm not sure if it was more planes or God I was looking for. I could'nt watch the news for awhile after 9-11. The worst image I had ever seen was the building where people were going to find a loved one who was missing. they had created this system, this process of finding out if the person you were looking for was dead or still missing. There was all these people waiting in line, holding posters and trying not to cry. You could see strength in their eyes. I remember that at the end of this process of all the paperwork and forms they had the people walk down a flight of stairs to this bulletin board type area where the names of the dead were being posted.

I kept thinking how could you make that walk, or read through those names, how horrible it was to know and to not know. If someone's name was there then you knew they were dead, but if it was'nt you knew no one knew where they were. I honestly don't know which one was worse. September 11 has changed my life in ways I wish it didn't. An explosion or loud noise scares me, airplanes scare me. I am constantly looking in the sky for something out of place, something not right. As mush as I hate to admit it, I live in fear that something is coming, something far worse than 9-11. But what in the world could be worse than that? I truely can't imagine something that horrible.

I truley feel so bad for all the families that lost someone that day, may god be with. The only good thing to come of 9-11 was the true goodness of people. As horrible as it was to watch planes crahing into buildings, it was peacefull to see human beings running into those buildins to offer help to strangers. Any building can be destroyed, at least the human spirit can't. I take pride in that and our country and believe in the goodness and kindness of the human spirit, we will get through this.
Goodness will always overcome evil.

Jillian ortells
Las Vegas, Nevada
Age 22