[Untitled]

Smithsonian website

I was ten years old, living in Oregon of all places. I had never been to New York and I had no ties to New York at the time...I was still sleeping in my parents' bed. But I knew something awful had happened, not by what I was seeing on the news, not by watching the second plane fly into the tower. But by watching my father cry. I remember that no one would explain what was happening, and I remember being plagued by that child-like frustration...but when I went to school that day, one of my teachers had found a way to set up a television set in the classroom. He said, "I know you are all confused, and scared, and I am not suppose to be doing this, but I am going to break the rules and talk to you about this. There are some very bad people, very confused people in this world. And those people tore down two buildings. Tow building bigger than any you have ever seen before, and they killed a lot of people today. Be patient with your moms and dads because they are very sad. You will understand one day." And that was all I needed. He had explained it to me and I had understood. We all did. We cried together, fifth graders, in an Oregon classroom. And later that evening, I went into my backyard and picked a rose. I tossed that rose into our pond and offered up a prayer for all of the people who had been killed by the bad men. I may not have understood the details, but I felt a deep sadness and compassion for those who had fallen.

Now, today, I am twenty years old. A student at Sarah Lawrence College in New York. I have a love for this city, a deep compassion for its people. I feel that it is important to bear witness again on this anniversary to that day. I have spent this September 11th watching documentaries like Saint of 9/11 and Portraits of 9/11. I have read stories of loved ones, memoirs dedicated to those victims survived by their families. I have reflected and prayed today. And most importantly I have cried. I have cried out of grief. I have cried out of humility. I have cried for those who have died and for those who have lived. I have cried for those I will never know and for those I am grateful to have known. And I have thanked god for this day, as if it were the last of mine on earth, and for the freedom to spend it doing exactly what I wished to be doing on this day. I have remembered, and I will always remember.