10 years ago, while I was driving back home after dropping my daughter off at pre-school, I remember thinking, “what a PERFECT day!” .So, I turned on the radio full-blast and rocked to my favorite music. I was SO happy. Life was perfect. My daughter was starting school and on her way to starting her own life and I was on my way home to get through my usual routine of cleaning the house. The sun was shining, it was probably in the 70’s outside and the clouds were perfectly formed.
Before I even had the chance to turn into my drive-way, there was a news flash on the radio. The radio announcer had a confused tone in his voice as he told us how a plane crashed into one of the twin towers, then a panicked tone and sense of urgency was felt after the second twin tower crash was announced. At first, it was thought that there was a problem with the plane, the second time it was evident that this was no accident. Then, the Pentagon, then the PA crash….
I didn’t understand, I didn’t understand.
I proceeded home and turned on the t.v. and saw the twin towers collapsing. Then a news flash at the bottom of the screen giving us the number of casualties; my heart sank and my spirit turned blue. I couldn’t breathe as I saw people running for their lives and other horrific, just awful things that NO ONEs eyes should ever see. It was a terrorist attack, they said.
I fell to my knees and prayed with all my might. “WHY?” I asked. “Please let us wake up from this nightmare”. I cried and cried as I thought about the families. Oh God, the families, the people….what are they feeling right now, what are they thinking, what are they all going through? I looked at the increasing numbers at the bottom of the screen; each number was a PERSON, a HUMAN BEING! I couldn’t process it, I couldn’t swallow this information.
I jumped in my car, my daughter’s school was near the air-force base and I needed to pick her up ASAP. Meanwhile, I called my mom in a panic to tell her we were under attack, as I sped to the pre-school to get my daughter. As I waited for the teacher to hand me my child, I kept looking up at the sky. It was still blue, the clouds had the same shape, the sun was still shining, but it wasn’t perfect anymore.
We all have our experiences to share. It is the 10th anniversary of this horrific day. And, it’s true, we will NEVER forget. This one day changed so many lives drastically. Through these past 10 years, I have listened to many stories, heard countless ways of how people have tried to grieve, heal and get through their losses.
Yes, it’s been 10 years, but it is okay to grieve. It’s okay to remember and to pray. Healing takes time and we need to acknowledge that. Remembering and taking part in ceremonies, prayerful gatherings and silent meditations are important when it comes to the grieving process. There is no set time line when it comes to grieving. There is no set time line when it comes to healing. However, we need to make sure that we are taking care of ourselves and taking time to go through the actual process of grieving and healing. Everyone is different, there is no ONE right way either.
So whatever you may be going through, make your experience your own, but DO experience it.
Because of this experience, I have learned to appreciate my family more. I have learned that we, as humans, are more connected than we allow ourselves to believe. Every day is precious and life can be very deceiving…so no one should be taken for granted, no day should be taken for granted. The gift of shared laughter, paying attention to one another, being compassionate to others and understanding where someone else may be coming from, these needs to be remembered too.
Out of tragedy can come Good.
