We Will Never Forget...

It's 9/11/09. Pretty much anybody over the age of about 15 remembers where they were when the terrorists attacked. They remember who they were with. They remember what they did for the rest of the day.

They remember the weeks afterwards. There was nothing on TV. There was nothing on the radio. There were no flights. Every song had an undertone. Whether it was an undertone of American pride, of grieving or of solidarity, there was a message.

The calls were played over the air and on TV. The final messages left by loved ones. Put to music.

There were assemblies, vigils and counseling sessions.

There was panic.

There was uncertainty.

There was also a pulse. A strong, common tremor felt by millions. 

It was a time of people springing to action. Young people, old people, people who had never considered it before were signing up to fight for this.

The United States of America.

We were attacked and we were damn worth fighting for.

CNN, FOX News...all the major stations had continuous coverage of ground zero, they replayed the attacks, they interviewed those who had lost their soul mates. Later, "Shock And Awe" was aired. For days and days.

It was surreal.

Life had been altered.

Casual conversations were peppered with new news. With "Did you hear about's," with opinions. 

Flags were waving.

People donated their money, their time, their belongings, their blood.

And I remember where I was when I saw my first plane in the sky after the dust settled. The airlines were up and running again.

I was in my car, driving to work. I heard the formerly familiar sound that had become obsolete. 

I rolled down my window, craned my neck out and watched that one plane.

People in their cars all around me were doing the same thing.

Life was going to go on.

The radio stations were going to play songs that had nothing to do with this tragedy.

Saturday Night Live coming on was a national turning point.

We eased back into our lives.

We had to.

Life blooms and goes on and babies are born and couples fight and kids fall down and cars get stolen... Everything goes on.

But we say "We will never forget."

Never forget the fear. Never forget the devastation. Never forget your own empathy. Never forget the solidarity. Never forget the images. Never forget the feeling that you had, in that moment, when you felt attacked. Never forget the hugs you shared with strangers. I'll never forget the vigils. I'll never forget the impromptu assembly at my college when one voice, amid the crying and donation taking started singing from the middle of all these strangers, "If tomorrow all the things were gone, I worked for all my life and I had to start again, with just my children and my wife..." 

Never forget. 

"That flag still stands for freedom. And they can't take that away."

We are damn lucky.

Thank you, God.

For blessing the USA.