Rememberance

It was dark o'clock in the morning on September 11, 2001 as I got ready for work. My radio was tuned to KROQ as it always was in those days, and Ralph Garman, who normally did the entertainment news, said something that did not quite register. In my sleepy-brain haze, I wondered if they were doing a War of the Worlds bit. Then Ralph said to turn on the TV because this was not a joke. I stumbled to the living room and turned on the news. I either saw the Pentagon on fire, or one of the World Trade Center tours on fire, but I know for sure that I saw the second plane hit, and I saw the towers fall. It was surreal and it gave me chicken skin.

I went to work that day. At that time, I worked in Sherman Oaks and lived in Whittier, so it was about 35 miles one-way. We cancelled a work event that night, and the freeways were eerily empty for Los Angeles. My friend's dad told her to tell me to drive straight home after work. Pretty common sense right? Well, it was scary because he would know that something very serious was going on even if the rest of us were still unsure of what exactly was happening to our world.

A lot of time has passed, but I still remember that morning even better than I do this one. It was such a sad and uncertain day. I feel like only a *sigh* can properly express my thoughts and feelings about 9/11. At the same time, I have much gratitude for the brave men and women who fight for our freedom, especially for the ones I know personally.