September 11th

I wasn't planning to do this but throughout the day, I've thought a lot about what happened 11 years ago.

Eleven years ago, I walked into Riverside Elementary School and thought it would be just another normal day. A friend mentioned to the class that on the news, she heard something about a plane running into a building. We thought it was a complete accident. Little did we know that plane would change our future. Later in the day, our teacher announced what happened. The classroom across the hallway had the TV on and was watching footage. But our teacher would not allow us to go watch the news. That day was early release so I got home before my siblings. I put my backpack down, turned on the news, and called my mom at work. I remember the moment I turned the TV on, it was replaying the very moment the second plane crashed into the tower. At the age of 11, I had no clue what to think. Never before had our nation been attacked on our soil in my lifetime. I had learned about historical events such as the attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Civil War battles. But never before had I lived through such an attack.

A few weeks later, my class went to the school district's school forest for the traditional camp trip. One night there, my class gathered around the radio to listen to President Bush announce that we were going to war against the people who destroyed our nation. Little did I know that my brother would fight in the war President Bush spoke about.

Fortunately, I was not related to anyone who lost their life with the terrorist attacks. I am proud of my brother who served (and survived) two tours in Iraq to fight against the evil in the world. I consider myself so blessed and grateful despite the evil nature of the attacks. It serves as a testimony to me that God is always watching over us despite the wickedness that exists.