Gone But Never Forgotten

Today marks the 11th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. My high school students barely remember the incident, some don't remember it at all. I remember it though. I was a high school student myself, sitting in biology class, watching the guys go "fishing" for the goldfish in our class's fishtank with an opened up paper clip tied to a string. Barbaric, I know.

I remember there was an announcement over our PA system, but it left me in such total shock that I don't really remember the actual announcement. The TV in our classroom was turned on. It never, ever, ever was put on.... We watched the footage play on every news channel. Over and over and over again. But no matter how many times I saw the footage, the fire and smoke billowing from the towers, the chaos in the streets, people actually jumping from the buildings... it still seemed surreal.

My friend, Dan, lived in NYC. In fact, he walked by the towers every morning to get to school. Luckily he wasn't near the site when the attacks occurred and wasn't hurt. Unfortunately, that can't be said for the nearly 3,000 individuals who so tragicaly and wrongfully perished on that day.

Days, weeks, even months after the attacks it still didn't seem real. On the second anniversary of the attacks my church held a special mass. My youth group helped coordinate it. I hand typed the name of every individual who died that day into a packet. Every single name. No copy and pasting. Only then did it become real for me. For me to touch, feel, type almost 3,000 names. Someone's mother, sister, aunt, friend, brother, father, uncle, grandparent.... Someone's someone. Gone. Nearly 3,000.

It became real.

God bless those who were affected by this horrible tragedy.

Like the phoenix, rising out of the ashes, our country has risen from the wake of this horrible destruction. Those who perished may be gone, but they will never be forgotten.

Happy Couponing!
-Coupon Mama Massachusetts