Never Forget

Today is the 10^th Anniversary of the Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001. It is a day of remembrance and mourning for those who lost their lives on that day. I am sitting here crying watching this Tribute and listening to all the names being called of those who were lost. It took 5 hours to read the amount of people who were killed and who risked their lives for the lives of others. I cry for those who were lost and I cry for my bestfriend who lost her dad. We Irish Step Danced together since we were 6, seeing her lose her father makes me so much more thankful for mine. I watched her cry and scream and just be mad at the world for taking her father away from her. She has never been the same since. You don’t realize how much you have until its gone and seeing that through her made me grow up and appreciate more and more. She started to believe that she wasn’t good enough to be alive if her father wasn’t. She had more than one suicide attempt and she was sent away for a long time for rehab. It kills me to see my bestfriend go through this and I cannot imagine the amount of pain she still has. I remember talking to her once and she told me this:

“the day after, my grandma told me we had lost my father. Being only 8, the first thing I said was ‘let’s go find him’. I had no idea that meant I had lost him forever. I look back and see that as the day I lost my father, and grew up. He was my biggest supporter and not having him there anymore just crushed my heart, that’s why I was so down on myself since. But I have realized that no matter what he is watching over me and making sure I know he still loves me. I just don’t want generations now to forget that day, I want them to feel how victim’s families and friends felt. Not just read about it in a text book.”

I cannot imagine growing up without my father, he has been there through every sport game, injury, cry, illness. Everything. And on days like this where I am listening to people announce their fathers, brothers, sisters, grandparents or friends name that was lost, I thank God with everything I have for keeping mine here.