Remember

It's that day of the year when I feel it's very important for each and every one of us to take a moment to remember all that happened on September 11, 2001. Whether it's that you think back to where you were, think about those who were lost, or how your life has changed since then, it doesn't matter.

I was in Boston that day. I flew into Boston Logan Airport early in the morning and was at a site preparing to do some training for Waste Management. I don't remember how I first heard what was happening, but by 10:00, I had cancelled the training sessions and was sitting in the room with about five other people watching the news. Cell phone service was practically nonexistent that day (system stress from so many calls), but I was able to confirm with Daddy via email that we were both OK. What I remember most are the moments when I realized I had flown into the same airport the hijackers had departed from and the horrible feeling of relief that I felt when the final plane crashed in a field outside of Pittsburgh. I say "horrible feeling of relief" because I was torn between the feelings of intense sadness for the people that were on the plane and a sense of relief for all of the people that could have been lost if it had crashed elsewhere.

When I think about those that were lost, the first name that comes to mind is Todd Beamer. But, because of this website, I know more about the lives of other victims and heroes from that day. I encourage you to visit the site (or this one or this one), read some of the names, look at the photos of the people, and learn a little about who they were.

I can't even begin to express the ways that my life has changed since that day. There are the obvious things that are a result of being six years older and, hopefully, wiser. There are also the subtle changes that the people around me probably don't see. I seethe with anger every time I travel by plane because of the false pretenses of improved security. I'm sad every time that I see a photo of New York City and see the missing buildings. I smile when I think back to the multitudes of American flags that were flying in the days following the tragedy.

This is Christine Hanson. She and her parents (also pictured) were on their way to California to visit family and go to DisneyLand when their plane was hijacked and flown into one of the Twin Towers. She was 2 when she died.