I Remember . . .

I remember waking up at 7:21am (PST) to the news that America was under attack . . .
I remember watching the 2nd tower fall to the ground . . .
I remember watching film of people running away from the massive clouds of dust, ash, and more coming down the streets of New York . . .
I remember seeing film taken by people who ducked into shops as the clouds came, people pulling others into the relative safety of stores, the people being pulled in sobbing, saying "thank you for saving me" . . .
I remember the stunned silence of news reporters and anchors. . .
I remember reports of casualties putting the numbers at possibly 50,000 . . .
I remember the chirping sounds made by the equipment of the Firemen who had Fallen, that sound repeating again and again in the silence after the fall . . .
I remember seeing footage of people in the towers, falling and jumping to their deaths, rather than burning in the hellish inferno . . .
I remember hearing the screams of those on the ground . . .
I remember hearing rumors about other hijackings or car bombs . . .
I remember hearing that Barbara Olson, one of my favorite political commentators, had been on Flight 77 and had died in the crash at the Pentagon . . .
I remember all of the television stations showing news feeds: the Food Network, CMT, HGTV, everything . . .
I remember medical people in fresh scrubs waiting at entrances of hospitals for all the victims, in vain . . .
I remember the deafening sound of plane-less skies for days . . .
I remember seeing posters lining the streets around Ground Zero, asking "Have you seen this woman . . . this man . . . Missing from the WTC . . . Please, please, call . . ."
I remember candle-lit vigils across the country, across the world . . .
I remember seeing footage and photos of people covered in grey . . .
I remember seeing photos of firemen running up the stairs of the WTC, rather than away . . .
I remember seeing tributes outside firehouses . . .
I remember seeing footage of President Bush's face when he got the news . . .
I remember the memorials, vigils, lines to donate blood, fundraisers, flags all around, people uniting, tears flowing freely, patriotic songs being sung, Old Glory selling out at all the stores, the sorrow on the faces of people all over . . .
I remember the feeling of loss in my heart, though I knew not a single one of the victims personally . . .
I remember the fear that I felt . . .
I remember the tears that I cried . . . and still cry . . .
I remember the resolution we all felt and the desire to right these wrongs and honor the Fallen by eliminating those who took them away . . .

I remember 9/11/01 . . .

What do you remember?

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