Thoughts on 9/11

Can you believe these events happened 7 years ago? A few days after September 11th I wrote the following and sent it out to all my friends and family since a lot of the phone lines were down. Since it was the days before blogs I wanted to get it written down somewhere so I wouldn't lose it. I just wanted to share my thoughts and feelings on what was going through my mind. I know most of you have your own memories of that day that I hope you have written down so that you can remember years later.

Here it is. (I was living with my sister in DC and working at a law firm as a legal assistant at the time.)

...I got to work thinking that it was going to be just a regular day. I even arrived early! When walking to work, I remember thinking how perfect the weather was.
At about 8:50, one of the attorneys in my firm came literally running past my desk screaming that something had hit the World Trade Center and to come into the conference room. We all sat with eyes glued to the news, our entire firm watching the replay over and over again, and as we watched were speechless as the second
plane flew into the second tower. I kept thinking how much it resembled special effects in a movie. My next thought was about my two friends in New York, Sara and Scott. I knew that Sara would be at NYU and Scott works in the financial district not too far away.

Of course all of the lines were down. No calls in or out of NYC. As we kept seeing the replay, we heard another report - the Pentagon had also been struck. Now the fear
was really rising. The Pentagon is a little too close to home. As I watched what was going on at the Pentagon, I called my mom. I was trying to remain calm and as we spoke and she kept reassuring me that everything was going to be ok because the events were happening only in NYC. I lost it! I screamed - No, something just
happened at the PENTAGON! That's when it hit more closely to home for her also. Although she was grateful for my safety, she knows how closely that Kijuana and I worked in relation to the Pentagon. After talking to my mom, I called my sister and made sure that she had made it to work and that she was safe. She said that she could see the smoke from the Pentagon when she stood on the roof of her office
building in Virginia.

At this point people were fleeing the city. I stepped outside onto the balcony at work and people were in complete disarray. People were running in every direction. The
streets were completely deadlocked. All I could hear was honking and sirens and
screaming. People getting out of taxi's and walking. I was in shock at the events happening around me. How could this happen in the USA and in DC, nonetheless?

Now, there were rumors flying left and right. There was a bomb at the FBI building, the White House and the Capitol were the next targets. About this time is when they started shutting down the airports and having planes land wherever they were. Then we heard about the plane that went down in Pennsylvania. The people of Washington, DC really felt like that plane was headed in our direction and we felt so grateful to the people that lost their lives for us! So my thoughts turned to what to do next. My office was located a few blocks from the White House and FBI building. My home was located near the Capitol. The subways were shut down.
I didn't know where to go.

So I opted to stay at work. It seemed like a long walk home and not knowing what was going to happen I wanted to at least be protected by shelter and with friends and associates not out on the streets alone. I didn't know when Kijuana would be able to make it home. The phone lines were working sporadically. Some calls would connect and some wouldn't. I kept thinking what good is a cell phone if you can't use it in
emergencies!

By the time I finally decided to leave work with a few of my office mates, the streets were barren. It was about 2:15 and it was like a ghost town. Like all the mice had scurried into hiding. The few people that I did see looked terrified and guarded. The subways (now running) that are normally filled with noise and laughter were
silent. I got home at about 3pm and Kijuana made it home sofon after and we just reflected on the events of the day. It felt like a dream, except I was exhausted and emotionally drained!

The rest of the day was spent talking on the phone to loved ones, watching the news replay the same scenes, and sleeping on and off to be awakened by nightmares from the horrific scenes I had seen on the screen all day. Smoke filled the night as I went out to view my surroundings. There were F-16 fighter jets flying overhead throughout the night. Every time the plane would fly overhead, my stomach would
tighten into knots until the sound was far enough away to help me realize I wasn't
in danger.

In the weeks that passed it seemed as though people were a little bit nicer to one another on the streets, the air was filled with somberness as the search for people and life continued all through the night. Our little neighborhood held a candlelight vigil. There was a sense of bonding.

This is an event that affected EVERYONE all around the nation. I don't know anyone that couldn't tell you exactly where they were when they heard about 9-11. My heart goes out to anyone who lost loved ones. To those who lost jobs, livelihood, and a place of belonging.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to tell you all - my friends and family how much I love and appreciate you. I am truly blessed to have all of you in my life! I
know that Heavenly Father would want us to take these types of situations and
make the best of them. I will use it to strengthen my bonds with those that I love. Thank you for being a part of my life!

I love you! -Kamilah

I am lucky to not personally know anyone who was killed, but I feel that it has changed America. We think differently, we went into war because of it and have been in war ever since. Our economy has been affected, even years later. I still think about it. Not every day, but often. I think that it's important to think about how we are not indestructible. We are just humans and need to think on a more global scale. We need to realize that although there are people that live on the other side of the globe that we may never meet or see, every life is worth the same as another.