I wasn’t one to get up and turn the TV on while getting ready, mainly because I get distracted easily and instead of getting ready for work as I was supposed to, I’d sit and watch whomever was chattering on TV. That morning was different. My husband had already left for work. I was getting ready to face another day of nine year old children in the classroom. I had just turned 25 years old. For some inexplicable reason, I flipped the TV on that morning and saw smoke coming from a building. Not sure what I was seeing, I put down my mascara and turned the volume up. A reporter was speculating on a possible plane crash into a tower in New York. Almost as soon as the sentence was out of her mouth, another airplane glided almost calmly into the building next to the first damaged one. I remember sitting on the bed and hearing the panic in the voices of the reporters and watching in disbelief at what I just saw. And I burst into tears.

Numbly, I finished getting ready and thought about how I would tell 34 nine year olds about the day our country was changed forever.

I don’t know why I felt compelled to post this today. It has been 10 years since September 11, 2001 and for me, I am still brought to tears every time I see an image from that day. It was a day that tragedy brought together a country and a day heroes were made. It is a day that still humbles me as I read about the selfless acts of so many. It is a day that makes me count my blessings to be a citizen of this country my family adopted thirty years ago. It is a day that  makes me look outside myself and to look for ways to serve others. It is a day that I remember with thanksgiving those that serve our country. It is a day that inspires me to hug my loved ones tighter, make the most of every moment and not wish away time. It is a day I will never forget.