Sept. 11th

It's hard to believe it's been 5 years, but it really has. Last night Kenny and I were at the grocery store, and I saw the date on the receipt as Kenny signed his name, and I thought, 'Oh my gosh, tomorrow is September 11th.'

5 year ago, on Septemeber 10th, we didn't know what was about to happen to our country. We didn't even have a clue. I'm sure most people remember what they were doing at the moment they found out about the twin towers. I do.

My roommate Rebekah and I were in an 8 o'clock class. It was almost over. A classmate of our's quietly pulled her cell phone out of her purse and ran into the hallway to answer her phone. About 1 minute later, and looking panicky, she tiptoed back into class, got her things and left. We thought nothing of it.

We left class, walked back to the car, and decided what to do next. We both had the whole rest of the day free. We decided to go shopping. I was driving. I drove us to the big mall, and I even remember exactly where we went. First, to The San Franscico Music Box Company so I could put this expensive gift on layaway for my mom (I was a poor college kid) and then we went to Victoria Secrets, and then Gap. When we left the mall, on our way to Target, that's when we heard about the first tower on the radio. They weren't saying it was terrorists yet, and we listened, and said something about how horrible it was, and then they were saying it was terrorists, and we commented on how the U.S. wouldn't let terrorists get away with it. We still didn't understand the magnitude of what was happening. We went into Target, and every single person in the store was standing in front of the TV's, eyes glued to the flaming second tower, some people crying, some just staring, and Rebekah and I just froze. We stood there for a long time, watching the smoke that we all recognize. It was unbelieveable. We went home and sat with our other 2 roommates for the rest of the day, trying to comprehend what was going on.

When I was little, my mom told me that she remembered what she was doing when she heard Kennedy was shot. This is kind of like that for me, I remember every detail of that day, as most Americans do.

I still pray for the victims and their families, and for our country, every day. And I really mean that. And I'll say my prayer today too, just like any other day. It just doesn't seem like it's been 5 years. Watching the familiar video clips on T.V. makes it seem like it just happened.