Remembering 9/11/01

Everyone who was alive 10 years ago remembers where they were today. Many of us will spend the day in reflection about where we were, who we were with, what we remember.
I remember 9/11 as one of the most difficult days I've ever lived through. I was home when the towers were hit, and home when they fell. My ankle was broken and I didn't feel like going to school. I remember getting up and seeing the news on TV. I remember asking my mother what was happening and she said we didn't know. I watched as the second plane flew into the tower, I watched as people jumped from the windows and smoke poured into the sky, I watched as the towers collapsed. I watched them re-run the footage over and over. I remember Peter Jennings, tired, disheveled, weary, and just as confused as the rest of us, but remaining calm, remaining reassuring, even as we began to make sense of what had happened. I miss him.
I will always remember that day. My heart broke to see people jump. I have never been so afraid of what tomorrow would bring.
Ten years later we live in a world I don't think many of us could have imagined. In some ways I think this is a world we would not have wanted to imagine. We live in a world of terror threats, terrorist actions, extreme fear. There is great unrest in many places and we remain at war. We live in uncertain times.
However, I remain convinced that in spite of all the unrest, all the uncertainty, some things do remain constant. Love is constant, hope is constant. We may not know what tomorrow brings, but we can hang on to love and hope.
For me I choose love. Not hate. I choose hope. Not fear. I have no control over what tomorrow, or even today, will bring. But I have control over how I will approach it. I have control over what I will do. I have control over my reactions.
I will remember this day with sadness for the rest of my life. So many were lost on this day. So many have been lost since then keeping this country safe. We may lose many more in the future. But I hope that it will not be in vain. I hope that one day we can build a world at peace. I hope that one day we may honor those we have lost by creating a world where no one is lost in such a needless way.
Remember 9/11. Remember those who were lost. Build a future they can be proud of.