Remembering 9/11 Ten Years Later

I was 13 years old. I’d just spent a ridiculous amount of time straightening my hair and putting on makeup. I walked downstairs to the typical sound of the news on the television, but when I rounded the corner to the living room I knew something was different.

My dad was standing in front of the TV with a spatula in his hand, his scrambled eggs temporarily abandoned on the stove. Mom was sitting on the ottoman with one hand to her forehead. As I walked past them to the kitchen I glanced and what they were watching and saw a tall building with a huge plume of smoke billowing out of it.  

“What happened?” I asked.

“A plan hit the World Trade Center,” my mom responded. 

“On accident?”

No one responded. Minutes later the second plane hit.

I didn’t even know what the World Trade Centers were. I’d seen their outline on the skyline on many movies but never knew their significance. The phrase “terrorist attacks” had never held much reality for me. I was a 13-year-old girl. My world was the bubble I lived in. 

I was eating Coco Pebbles when the first tower fell. 

I was in 8th grade and my first class was journalism. After an unusually quiet bus ride to school I sat in class with about half my usual peers and we watched footage of the second tower falling. A boy in the back of the class would laugh and point and make exploding sounds every time they replayed the planes hitting. The teacher must have been in too much shock to stop him. I wish she had. 

I was at a pivotal age when this happened. A lot of things in my life were changing already and this just added to it.  I’ve always used artwork to express myself and I wrote several poems and drew pictures about how I felt. On the 4th anniversary, before YellowEleven Photography is what it is today, I took this photo. It’s sweet in it’s simplicity, and I know I could retake this photo today at a much higher quality. I but I like this one. 

Today is a day to remember those who lost their lives. It’s also a day to remember those who fought galantly, and today suffer for their efforts. To remember the families effected and the brave men and women who have fought or are still fighting overseas…

And to remember yourself. How you felt. How it changed you. How you’ve grown. Just take a moment to remember, and then go enjoy your Sunday. 

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• 9/11
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