9/11/11

there have been a lot of memories shared today. moments from a time that altered so many lives. i would be remiss if i didn't add something of my own.

i was heading to school with my mom. she insisted on listening to the radio. i hated the radio. driving down 7th street to the news of something so shocking... so horrifying that i just couldn't believe it-or.. i guess wrap my head around it. the horror in the announcers voice made it ring true.

i got to school and i felt chaos. i lived in a military town and it went on lockdown. the fear of fort huachuca being attacked came high on a list of concerns.. these concerns were voiced more throughout the day and next few days as more information from military parents was acquired.

people crying in the hallway.. loved ones who had flown out on business and hadn't been reached yet. we spent every class period watching the same footage. hoping for new information. although i do recall by 6th period my history teacher turned it off and told us that there wasn't anything new and we returned to our lesson. my-history-teacher. it seemed like such an odd choice.

and in typical amanda fashion in horrible news, i clammed up. i went silent. it felt like a horrible dream that i could only pray i would wake from. i was 16.

i watched some blurbs today before and after work of people who had survived and how it had changed their lives. i watched again some of that repeat footage of, not the towers falling, but of people coming together to help each other. firefighters running into the wreckage.. and those lone people in piles of ash. i felt something swell.. pride in these people that in these moments of tragedy chose to help someone else. i felt it as i saw the firefighters and thought of the people that serve and defend.. whether on our soil or off of it.. and silently honor and thank them.