Reflections on the day

Twelve years. Twelve years, and yet I can distinctly remember the day in my mind. It doesn't feel like twelve years.
 
Everyone has their own memories of where they were, what they were doing, and how they felt twelve years ago. They say that some memories become so vivid that you remember the most minute details of what you were doing even if you didn't think you were fully paying attention to them.
 
Twelve years ago, I was a third grader at Flower Hill Elementary School in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The day was a little bit different than most for me. I woke up and got ready for school, but I had a different sense of excitement in the pit of my stomach - I was going to fly to Poland to visit my family! The plan was for my mother to come pick me up early from school, take me home, and then for my family to head immediately to the airport. I was incredibly excited to get to see my relatives - it had been about a year since I had last been able to see them.
 
I got to school and settled into my classroom. We did a few exercises, and eventually settled on the floor in our book nook, where our teacher began to read us a story book about bees and pollination. We had barely gotten through three pages when the intercom buzzed and our principal spoke. "We'll be letting out of school early today due to… Some problems in Washington."
 
My classmates cheered joyfully - a random early-release day from school? How exciting! There would be more time to run and play outside that afternoon! I, however, felt uneasy. Problems in Washington? That would affect us, 30 minutes outside of the capital? I had no idea what it all meant, but I knew it wasn't good.
 
My teacher released us kids to an early lunch, and so I walked to the lunch room with some of my friends, still uneasy. Just outside the cafeteria, I was met by my mother - she had come to pick me up. Her face was red and swollen, and she had been crying. Immediately, my unease turned into immense fear - something was very, very wrong. She didn't tell me much on our way home, and when I walked into our living room and saw what was on the TV, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
 
CNN was broadcasting live images from New York of two very large burning towers. My dad was shaking his head slowly and muttering under his breath, and I looked at my mother in confusion as she bit her lip and held back more tears. I can't remember if I watched the second tower fall or if I just watched the aftermath, but I know that we heard multiple F16 jets flying over our apartment that morning. It felt like I was in a war zone, and it was incredibly sobering.
 
Of course we didn't end up getting on our flight to Poland that morning, and the days that followed were stressful for all our relatives across the ocean - they had seen the news and had assumed that we had been on the planes that had slammed into the towers. It took a few days before the phone lines cleared up and my mother was able to assure our family that we were okay, and the relief was immense.

Today's a great day for reflection and love, y'all. Remember why you're so lucky (because you are), and tell all of those that are important to you just how much you love them. And don't forget the 3,000 souls that perished twelve years ago.

xx
ola