Well it’s that time of year again, fall (well almost lol). I love fall! I love the lower temperatures, the changing colors of the leaves, Halloween, Thanksgiving, football, and most important my birthday! For me it’s just a magical time of year, it always has been! But September always bring the anniversary of something that changed our country forever. You all know what I am talking about, 9/11.
I was 14 and had just started the 8th grade that cool Tuesday morning! I was a small town girl who had barley been out of Texas, let alone to New York or Washington DC (I still am lol). I don’t know if I’d ever even heard of the World Trade Center before that morning, I certainly didn’t understand what it was or what it represented. Nor did I understand what the Pentagon was or what it represented. But I knew when the principal came in and whispered something into my History teacher’s ear that morning the things going on were bad. I remember her saying we aren’t going to read about History today kids, we are going to watch it! She flipped on the TV and we watched. I always say that I didn’t fully understand the things that happened that day but really did anybody?? I think this was something even the most knowledgeable of adults had a hard time understanding the thing that happened that morning and even the weeks that followed. I did understand though that thousands of people were losing their lives while I watched and there wasn’t anything anybody, me included could do to stop it. I watched as thousands of fireman, EMTs/Paramedics, and police officers rushed into those buildings as everyone else rushed out and was amazed! And then as those building crumbled I was horrified knowing many of them lost their lives. I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since that morning! It seems like it was just yesterday in a lot of ways! I think of all the people who lost loved ones and my heart just breaks! That day showed us how evil people can be but even in the middle of that we saw how good people could be! People helping others down the stairs at the World Trade Center, people risking their lives to save others, the brave men and women on Flight 93 who decided they were going to take things into their own hands and not allow these men the privilege of carrying out the horrendous act they were planning and in the process saving who knows how many lives. 9/11 united our country through tragedy and we leaned on each other to get through it. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of that horrible morning! I can’t imagine the type of pain these people go through on a daily basis but especially this day every year! American’s will always remember 9/11 and the pain it brought! We will always remember the people who lost their lives and their families! God Bless the USA!
All of our lives changed that morning but no one’s life (except for the survivors of the people killed of course) changed more than the Muslims who live, work, and raise their families in this country! One thing that bothered me as that young 14 year old girl trying to make sense of all this and still bothers me now as an adult is the hatred this event started for Muslims. People have such crazy ideas about Islam and its followers. They see it as a religion of hate and killing but the truth is that isn’t the case. The majority of Muslims are good people. They want the same things we do and have no interest in doing the things that the men who carried out, planned, and funded the things that happen that morning. I’ve been blessed to know a few Muslims personally and I’ve seen the goodness in their hearts and what their religion is really about. Just like all Japanese weren’t responsible for what happened at Pearl Harbor, all Muslims aren’t responsible for what happened on 9/11. I’ve watched the last 10 years and read countless stories of mosques being burned, kids being harassed, and even in severe cases people physically harmed because they are Muslim and it breaks my heart! I’ve heard the ignorant crap being spewed from people’s mouths and it makes me sick. Please try to remember not all Muslims fly planes into buildings, blow things up, or kill people! Most of them just like us spend their days going to work and taking care of their families. Please don’t make more victims of this horrible tragedy!
On an unrelated note as a Texan I am been following these fires down around Austin and all over the state! We are all in real trouble right now! We have had the hottest driest summer ever for any state in the country! If we don’t get some rain soon, I don’t know whats going to happen! Frankly I try not to think about it because it scares me. I guess I follow these fires so closely because I feel for these people and I understand what they are feeling. We had a rough wildfire season(that is still going!) this year but I was more directly affected by wildfires in 2006. March 12th, 2006 was the single worst day for wild fires in Texas history. It was a Sunday. I went to church that morning like I always did. I had no idea how that day would change my life but it did. I got home that afternoon and ate lunch. The wind was blowing hard. I mean it always blows hard but this day was like nothing I could remember seeing before(sustained winds of around 40mph with gusts as high as 60-70mph). It was Spring Break and we were packing to go to my Grandmas. That afternoon we began to see smoke in the distance. We knew there were a few fires but we didn’t think much of it. However by the time we got out of church that evening it became clear the smoke and flames were getting very close…too close! The fire was heading towards town and around 7 or 8 that evening evacuations began. We watched as the fires got close enough we could see the flames rising high into the sky and the smoke would choke you. The sky was a crazy weird shade of orange. We began to get things ready to leave. We were already packing so it wasn’t too hard. I was scared to death! Until you set there and watch a giant fire makes it way towards you, you can’t understand that fear. We got lucky about the time the fire reached town there was a wind change that drove the fire the other direction. We were up all night keeping our eyes and ears open just in case. Before it was all said and done the fires consumed over 400,000 acres of land, killed 11, and burned many structures. Everything was just gone! It took them several days to put these fires out and our lives were forever changed. We are better prepared for these things. I feel I am better prepared but I am terrified of these things! We in this area takes these things much more serious! To the people affected by the fires now I just say hold on. I know right now it feels like these fires will burn from now on and that life will never be normal again but they will be put out and you will move on! My thoughts and prayers are with you all!
Well I guess that is all I have for now! The regular season for the NFL starts tomorrow!! I’m excited! Let’s go colts!!
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