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.