9/11 Twenty Years

 There are some events in our lives that are etched into our memories.  Growing up I never understood what people meant when they said they remember what they were doing when President Kennedy was assassinated.  With the tragic death of Princess Diana I got to understand!

The 9/11 terror attack took that to a whole new level for me.  I remember clearly my feelings of that time.  Because of the time difference it was night time in Japan.  I had gone to bed early but my husband woke me up saying I had to see something on TV.  I went into the living room just as the news was showing the second plane hitting the building. I honestly thought it was a movie trailer, I mean these things don't happen, it couldn't be real.  I started flipping through channels with the realization that this was indeed happening.  I watched in horror as the story unfolded, The Twin Towers collapsing, part of the Pentagon destroyed and the brave souls that stopped the last plane from hitting it's target.  I was dazed.  I'm not American but I think on that day nationality didn't matter. I grieved for the families whose lives were destroyed, that had loved ones ripped from them in such a despicable act.  I've never been one to hate but at that moment I hated those terrorist.  What right had they to destroy innocents lives?  What right had they to plunge all of humanity into grief and desperation?  What right had they to rob my kids of their innocence?  I was so angry that a religion had been used to justify the attacks.  I grew up with Muslim friends and always found them to be kind, caring people.  What these terrorists did was twist their religion to fit their hate.

Here we are 20 years on.  I don't feel things are any better since that time.  The war on terror is on going.  The attacks over the past 20 years show that these terrorists will stop at nothing to prove a point.  I'm amazed at the resilience of people who refuse to be brought down by the terror attacks.  Through out Europe there have been a number of tragedies but as always we mourn, pick ourselves up and carry on.

My thoughts and prayers are for the families who have lost loved ones 20 years ago.  I hear stories of the fire fighters and police that rushed in to save people, they are heroes and deserve praise.  But I think that all those who lost their lives on that awful day are heroes!