Posts Tagged ‘9/11’

20 years

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , ,
11 September 2021
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9/11 doesn’t feel like 20 years ago. Somehow the memory feels less distant, as if it was closer to 10 years ago. Long enough that so much has changed, but not long enough for the pain to belong to another era. I think that’s a good thing, because it hasn’t faded too quickly. I believe it’s important to keep it in our hearts, to honor those who were indelibly affected.

20 years ago, I was a 15-year-old sophomore in high school, about an hour north of NYC. It was either the 2nd or 3rd period of class at Brewster High and I had a math class with a young teacher with strawberry blonde hair. One of the school leadership came into class and quietly said some things to her; I can’t remember if it was the principal but I think it was. The shock on her face didn’t make sense to us.

At some point, we got moved to another classroom, which I don’t recall being one I normally went to. If my math class was on the eastern side of the school, then this one was in the northwest. I remember one of my classmates, Craig, seemed to get news that his aunt might have died. I don’t remember what exactly we had been told at that point, but not long after, we were sent home.

Back at home, the news channels had nothing but horror to share with us. Did I get home before the second plane hit? Or did I watch that unfold in front of us? My mom was home and my dad was on a business trip near the Pentagon (which I didn’t know at the time). I later learned that my mom had nearly taken a job either in one of the towers or right across the street. She could have been right there. My dad was at a hotel and heard the plane fly overhead before it struck the Pentagon. Thankfully, that’s as close as we got to being affected by 9/11.

Home in New York state

A year later, we had moved to California after nearly relocating to Texas. I felt so alone on this side of the country, with brand new friends in a state that I (at that point) hated and nobody who understood what it was like to be a New Yorker on 9/11. For years, I would quietly remember the day and mourn.

Since then, I went to college, studied abroad, worked abroad, fell in love, got married, moved to Virginia, returned to California for business school, got divorced, bought a house and have now settled in southern OC. I think I’ve only been back once since leaving, back in 2013. I got a chance to visit the memorial to pay my respects and it gave me a solemn, haunting feeling very much like Holocaust memorial I visited in Berlin.

This year, I almost didn’t realize what date it was until yesterday; I still can’t believe it’s September. Today I woke up and began to read articles. There were many beautifully-written, poignant stories about the bravery and tragedy witnessed on that day. For over three hours, I let myself be consumed by articles. It’s a strangely quiet and peaceful day, with a gorgeous view of the coast. I feel like I should do something special to commemorate the day, but I’m also perfectly content to stay at home with the cats and chow down on the samosas I just made.

365great Day 181: remembrance

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: , , ,
11 September 2013
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Learn more about 365great here.

365great challenge day 181: remembranceI meant to get a picture of the flags at half-mast today but it didn’t happen. Sooo here’s a picture of some fantastic hats I got at Leadership Academy back when I was in NJROTC. I wore that hat and every other patriotic thing I could find (including shirt, pants, flip flops, earrings, and more) for the first anniversary of 9/11. By then I had moved from New York to California but my heart was still out east. It was a way for me to remember and honor the heroes of that day and feel a bit more connected to my previous state. I think it’s important even if you just take a brief moment to remember the important events that shape our lives and our histories. That’s why holidays and anniversaries and other celebrations are meaningful to us. While the shock and pain has faded over the years, I hope we as a nation never forget to look back at the people who lost their lives on 9/11. Remembrance is a great (and simple) way to pay respects to those who have gone before us.

A day of remembrance

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , ,
11 September 2012
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I can hardly believe it’s been 11 years. I remember how painful it was the first few years, since I had to move away to California not long after the attacks.  I left behind all my friends in New York, though my heart was still out there.  The first two years, I completely decked out in every patriotic thing I had – a Cat in the Hat felt hat, a t-shirt with stars and stripes, even flip flops with the American flag.  Oh, and don’t forget the various pins I had in red, white, and blue (some shaped like flags, some like stars).  I proudly walked around my West Coast high school, never forgetting my old East Coast life.

Over the years, I felt more and more like a Californian and my connection to New York faded slowly.  I think it was about the 6th anniversary that I no longer felt the extreme sadness that I had in years before.  Instead it had evolved to a certain type of solemnness.  And while that day is still burned in my memory (the shock on my math teacher’s face as the principal told her what happened and the time it took for us students to fully grasp what it all meant), a lot of healing has occurred in the time since.  Now I can look back without bursting into tears… though don’t get me wrong, I still feel them welling up.

We are still seeing the consequences of what those terrorists did and hopefully we can finally stop this war and find some peace again.  In the mean time, we should all find some time in our lives to honor all those who sacrificed, especially on this day each year.  Memories may fade and feelings may dull, but let us never forget the lessons of yesteryear.

Remembrance

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , ,
11 September 2011
0

My, how 10 years have gone by. It’s hard to believe that it has been so long, yet it went so quickly. Before we know it, we’ll be another decade along. And while we will never forget 9/11 and the effects of terrorism have forever changed the course of history here in the US, the world must go on and so too, will we.

It’s so strange to look back. I feel like the 15-year-old sitting in math class that morning has nearly become someone else entirely. I even moved clear across the country in the year following 9/11. For the first three years of coming to California, the horror and memories of the footage we saw that day were fresh. Each anniversary, I’d show up to class dressed so patriotically it was silly. Those years I yearned for my old life in New York state and still identified as a New Yorker. I wanted to represent all who I knew were affected by the tragedy and show that I hadn’t forgotten, either.

As time went on, my identity as a Californian, an Angeleno, solidified and the thoughts of what happened in New York got filed away into my memory banks. Anniversaries were easier to handle and I didn’t always cry on the day anymore. This year I spent a quiet day with loved ones and since I don’t have a TV, have no idea what kind of coverage there was. I hope there was a lot though.

I’ll never forget the confusion our class felt as we heard the news, nor will I forget the look on my teacher’s face when she was told. It took us awhile of sitting around talking amongst ourselves to fully grasp the situation. When the school decided to let us go home for the day (which was only half through), I went home to sit in front of the TV with goosebumps as I watched again and again the terrible images.

I hope that we’ve learned enough as a country to prevent this kind of thing from happening again. I’m glad that we were able to get to Osama before today, for that can at least close one chapter of this saga. However, there is still so much to do and I hope we pull out of our struggles victorious and humbled.



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