story6067.xml

story6067.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

I don't have much of a story to tell, when you hear the stories of the survivors a year later. I was not there. I did not lose anyone I loved, but I did learn what capacity I have for empathy. I was watching TV on that morning, when suddenly images of the WTC building burning flashed onscreen. I called my sister in New York and asked her, "do you know whats going on?" She didn't, and I instrructed her to turn on her TV. In horror, we sat on the phone, eyes glued to the TV as we watched the 2nd plane hit the second tower. I watched as the trade centers fell, and so many lives were lost. I prayed, and I cried, and I called my husband just to tell him I love him. The petty arguments of the day before were now meaningless. I hung up the American Flag usually reserved for Independance day and Memorial Day... and I stayed glued to the TV for days, trying to understand what would drive people to do this to our wonderful country. So many lives were extingushed that day, but the survivors of 9/11 are still alive to tell their stories. As long as we still remember 9/11, as long as those of us who are still living breathe, and as long as we still enjoy the freedoms that make us Americans, the terrorists have not won. They may have won a battle by killing so many innocents, but they have not and will not win the war.