10 Years since 09/11/01

September 11, 2011 marked the 10 year anniversary of when terrorists attacked U.S. soil by hijacking airplanes and running them through the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

Their intent was to break the American Spirit. Little did they know that their attack would have the opposite affect. The American people united together as One Nation Under God. Although lives were lost, the attempted blow at hurting the American People was a feeble one. Regardless of economic status, leadership, crime rates, etc., The United States of America is the BEST place a person could ever live....if for no other reason but because we ARE One Nation Under God.

10 years ago I had NEVER heard of Osama bin Laden or Al Qaeda. Now those names are commonplace. It's surreal to think that my children will read and learn about this in their American History classes, then turn to me and say "you were alive when that happened? you remember that?" This is one of the marked events (along with the likes of Pearl Harbor, JFK being shot, the first moon walk, and the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster) in history that regardless of circumstance, you remember where you were and how you felt that day. Those feelings may be suppressed over time, but just recalling the emotions and thoughts from that tragic day in American history renews those feelings as if they were new.

My family and I had the opportunity to visit Ground Zero in October 2002. At that time, the fence surrounding Ground Zero was still in tact as a barrier. Over a year later, the fence was still covered in shirts, posters, stuffed animals, balloons, etc with well wishes to those who lost their lives. Over a year later, those items attached to the fence still smelled like smoke. It was similar to a campfire smell, but eerily different. A nearby church was left open as a makeshift museum to show the scars on the benches from where the fire and police workers went to lay down for a few minutes of rest and left their marks with their utility belts. I'm glad we had the chance to visit Ground Zero. To be there in person to feel the solemn reverence that surrounds that plot of land.

I am proud to be an American. I know that our country is not perfect, but the religious freedoms and original ideals it was founded on gives me enough comfort in saying that we are truly blessed to be living in this great country we call home.