So, Septemeber 11th is rapidly approaching. It seems to sneak up on me every year. And every year, I was up with a tremendous feeling of sadness.

I remember my mom running in and waking me up that morning. It was right after the first plane had hit, before they realized it was terrorists. The thing I remember most was how blue the sky was and how black the smoke was...I kept thinking that if I had to guess what hell on earth would look like...that would be it. Then the second plane hit. And within seconds, everyone in America realized that this WAS hell. Evil was among us...even worse, it had BEEN among us. I went back to sleep in a daze. I was confused. How could this happen to us? This kind of thing happened in other countries, but not ours. We were safe, right? The rest of the day is a blur of stars, stripes, tears, and political speeches. It really hit me when I saw the images of people holding hands and jumping out of the buildings. They must have been so scared and desperate. I can't imagine that kind of fear.

It didn't take us long to all come together...to lean on each other for support. And suddenly we didn't remember why our enemies were our enemies. We all saw the bigger picture. We united and got ready to defend our country. Kids said goodbye to their parents. Parents were scared for their kids. You saw American flags flying everywhere.

But now, just 7 years later, we're back to square one. We're bashing each other and avoiding eye contact. You see the same flags flying, but with tattered edges. The rescuers that risked their lives to save others are slowly dying, and we're standing by...doing nothing. Where has the compassion gone? Why have we allowed ourselves to forget? So many of us still mourn the more than 3,000 people that died that day...but we don't act on it. We're back to taken each other for granted. Something has to change...permanently. But what will it take? Even the most horrific tragedy didn't permanently affect us. It bruised our hearts, but hasn't changed us.

So, please, whoever reads this...do one thing today in honor of lives lost. Hold a door for someone...Call someone just to say hi....do SOMETHING. Let's not let those lives be forgotten. Keep their memories alive. Keep THE memory alive. We owe it to the people who lost their lives, and especially the people fighting for us.

NEVER FORGET 9/11/01

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