remember.

"When you look in the dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is? It could be 'remember.'"

today i've been remembering, of course, 9/11/01.

I thought it was kind of cheesy to do the whole "ten-year-anniversary" thing...

but i've really been thinking about it today.

I think it's important to remember, and to have days set apart to do so.  Otherwise it becomes too easy... not to remember.

Ten years ago I was nine years old, getting ready for another day of third grade. I didn't understand what was going on, but I knew the adults were scared, and that's what scared me. 

I'm not scared anymore.

Now I take this day to be proud that I am an American. I think about what it means to be American. 

I think about the heroes who gave their lives {and the ones who didn't, but would've} , and their bravery, courage, & example that day.

I think about all those who lost a loved one that day.

I think about hope, and courage, and moving forward, and being United as a country.

Today was the first time I cried about what happened 10 years ago.

I didn't cry a lot. I guess I just finally felt the impact. And gratitude for heroes. And inspired by their example. 

Today I cried a little bit when we sang the National Anthem in church. 

Today I am proud to be an American.

//

The story of the "Survivor Tree" at Ground Zero really inspired me. [source]

"Over 400 trees have been brought in from around New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC, to honor those who died in the WTC, on Flight 93 and in the attack on the Pentagon. Among these trees, there is one that was actually on-site when the towers collapsed. Known as the “Survivor tree,” this callery pear tree was burned by the fires and covered by the rubble when the towers collapsed. The tree was uncovered weeks later and taken to a nearby nursery. It was not expected to survive, but after tender care and pruning, it has grown 30 feet tall and returned to the World Trade Center site. While the waterfalls, and the names around them, represent what we lost, the survivor tree represents the courage, growth and perseverance that remains."

That is what I celebrate, this September 11th.