Have You Forgotten

Today is the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. Last night I stayed up until one in the morning watching a 9/11 TV special with a group of friends. Even as commercials played, we still sat in silence, as we remembered. We remembered all the emotions we felt ten years ago as if hearing the news for the first time. During one commercial, we all began telling the stories of where we were when we heard the news.  Who we were with when we saw the images of the burning Twin Towers. Every American has their own version of that story. 

A couple months ago, my aunt and I went through a phase where we were a little obsessed with 9/11.  We were reading books about that day and watching documentaries.  I have a VHS tape where I recorded snippets of news coverage immediately following the 9/11 attacks that we watched together.  

And, I wrote this...

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Have You Forgotten

Last night, I didn't get home from work until 11PM courtesy of a hockey playoff game.  Instead of going to sleep upon my late arrival home, like a normal person, I plopped on the couch with peanut M&Ms and the TV remote. That is how I ended up watching the History Channel until two in the morning.

A special called Critical Decisions of 9/11 was airing.  It hit me pretty hard that something that happened in my lifetime, that I remember so vividly, was already on the History Channel.  9/11 is my generation's Kennedy assassination. Last Friday, at lunch with my coworkers, somehow 9/11 came up and we all started telling the stories about where we were when we found out.  Then, two days later, Bin Laden is killed.  So, 9/11 has been fresh on my mind lately.

Watching that TV special last night brought back all of the emotions I felt that day.  I watched the recap of the day and stories told with tears in my eyes.  There were moments when I literally couldn't breath because watching those scenes caused the same panic I felt that day to sweep over me.  My heart was heavy when I went to sleep but I was also grateful to be reminded to remember. 

Have you forgotten how it felt that day To see your homeland under fire And her people blown away? Have you forgotten when those towers fell? We had neighbors still inside Going through a living hell And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout Bin Laden Have you forgotten?