WE WILL NEVER FORGET

It has been 13 years since the unthinkable happened.

13 years since our entire world changed.

13 years since 2,977 people were killed.

13 years since a horrific act of hatred altered everything we knew.

I was in 5th grade when the World Trade center was hit.

I remember coming downstair that morning having my dad in the family room while the news was on. 

The first tower had been hit. 

Then the second.

Then the Pentagon.

51 minutes was all the time there was between four hijacked planes causing catastrophic devastation.

At 10 years old I didn't understand how anything like this could happen.

How were there people in the world who could be so heartless? 

How could people be so sick to plan out attacks to kill thousands of people?

I remember going to school and it being so somber.

I remember my teacher talking to us and trying to make sense of it even though there wasn't any way to.

I remember not doing much of anything that day, just everyone sitting together trying to understand what happened.

I remember that was the only day that our school had the TV going so we were updated on what was happening in our Nation.

I remember crying because so many people died. 

I remember being afraid that something that horrible could happen in our country that was supposed to be the greatest and the strongest in the world.

I remember worrying that the same thing could happen to either of my parents.

There are not many days I can remember from elementary school.

In all honesty, that may be the only day I remember from start to finish.

13 years later, as I am writing this and as I look through pictures, I am in tears.

I still don't understand how anyone could have such hatred for people.

How any one person, let alone a group of people, could be so willing to kill innocent people.

I will never understand how 19 men could have hijacked four planes in order to kill themselves and thousands of other people.

I can't understand how a plan was formulated to bring on such a devastation.

It is disgusting that there are still terrorists out there who think they did the right thing. That would do it again if they had the means.

My heart hurts that there are people like that in this world.

It makes me physically sick to my stomach to think of all the victims.

There were people as young as 2 and as old as 85 who were killed in the attack.

Being a mother, my heart aches for those children.

It aches for those mothers, for those fathers, for those sisters, those brothers, for those friends, for those husbands, those wives.

It was scary bringing a child into this world when there is so much hatred, and so many horrible people.

I worry every day about the world my precious innocent little boy grows up in.

It is heartbreaking to know that I can't protect him, or Jeff or my parents or my in laws, or my family.

It is heartbreaking that I can't protect them any more than any family member who lost a loved one in the attacks.

Looking through pictures from that day 13 years ago,

I sat here crying multiple times, and lost it a few times scrolling through the images, reading the facts.

The numbers of victims, the time frame of the attacks; So many things are incomprehensible to me: 

When the South tower began to collapse, it took approximately 10 seconds from start to finish. 10 seconds for hundreds of floors to crumble to the ground.

102 minutes. That is the time between the first attack and the collapse of the final tower. 

This year, on May 10, 2014, there are still 1,115 victims that have not been identified by any physical remains or DNA. That is 41% of the victims.

It took over 8 months to finish the clean up of Ground Zero.

It officially ended May 30, 2002

It took 3.1 million hours of labor to clean up 1.8 million tons of debris and cost $750 million.

Those numbers leave me speechless.

I pray that there will never be an act of this magnitude, hatred or evil towards our country ever again. 

In these 13 years since that horrible day,

we have declared war

We have fought battles

We have fought to take back what is ours: Our freedom, our peace.

We united that day in a way that no one could have ever foreseen.

We had always been a country, but that day solidified who we are, what we stand for and what will be tolerated.

Even though every Citizen may not have had someone physically affected by the attack, each and every American carries this day around with them.

We are still fighting to end this tragedy and ensure that nothing will ever happen again.

Some people have fought first hand.

While others at home still heal a little bit more each day from the day that shattered our world.

As I was reading through stories of September 11th,

I came across one about Lauren Grandcolas.

She was on United flight 93.

I really encourage you too look this story up on this mans profile. 

It is both heartbreaking and inspiring. 

I did my best to link the story as close as I could. It will take you to Frank Somerville KTVU Facebook page. The story is from September 7th so you will have to find it (as of right now it is only two posts back) but you can find his page HERE

After reading the above story you will understand why I asked you to read it.

 I will never cease to be amazed at the courage people have in the moments before tragedy.

When they are facing death and still have poise.

Lauren Grandcolas was a hero in many ways.

Her grace, and her beauty in the way she handled her inevitable death is inspiring.

I was in tears reading the story and how she handled it. 

I am in awe of this woman.

She would have been an incredible mother.

On this day I hope that everyone will take a moment of silence to think about all those who were killed, all those affected physically, personally, mentally, impersonally.

To take a few moments to bypass any political feelings or any current issues and remember the day that so tragically unified us.

WE WILL NEVER FORGET

This song gives me chills every single time I hear it.