Where were you?

It was a school day, I had gotten up like any other day and gotten ready for school.

We never really had the TV on in the mornings so it wasn't until I got in the car or carpool that I heard.

Sally Miller was the mom that was driving this day.

She heard it on the radio and got very interested.

She made all of the kids stay in the car and listen to what was going on.

I was in 3rd grade, 7 years old and really did not get it.

I honestly just thought the plane crashed and that's sad.

Whatever.

I walked into my 3rd grade class and the TV in the corner was on.

Everyone was watching, silently.

I joined them and was burned with that vision on the plane smashing into the buildings and smoke enveloping the city.

It was then that I remembered that my Aunt and Uncle lived in New York City.

Were they okay?

Were they anywhere near this?

What if they were inside?

By the end of the school day, I went home and my Dad was home.

I thought that was weird.

His work had sent everyone home to spend time with their families I later found out.

The first thing I asked was if Garth and Cortney were okay.

My mom assured me that they were far enough away from the attack and were fine.

I don't remember when I learned that it was a deliberate attack on the United States, that this was planned.

But I don't think it was until a while later.

That day, by the feelings that I'm sure were felt all around the world, I knew that it was bad.

I knew that a lot of people died.

I remember my mom turning the TV off when they started to replay the videos of people jumping out of the windows.

She couldn't watch it anymore.

I was grateful because I couldn't either.

I will remember this day for the rest of my life.

It is a part of our history that will always be thought of, talked about, and remembered.

I remember the thousands that lost their lives that day and the families of those loved ones.

In High school, I went to New York and got to walk around Ground Zero.

We saw the church across the street,

the list of names,

the tattered flags that were hung that day,

and the countless memorials.

The Memorial was still under construction but we could see over the sides to what they were building.

I remember feeling the same way I did there as I did the day in 2001.

In my History class Sophomore year we watched "Inside "9/11"

Everything started to make so much more sense.

This was planned and the clues were all there.

Watching the buildings crash and the streets become filled with rubble chasing the bystanders away will forever be burned in my head.

This day was frightening but I'm proud that it brought us together as a Nation and allowed all of us to be grateful for what we had.

I'm proud to be an American.