today.

the date is september 11. 11 years ago today, it was a beautiful day. I was 12 years old & in 7th grade. lots of kids were getting picked up & leaving early for the day but I didn't know why. many teachers were talking in hushed voices in the hall between classes with worried looks on their faces. I had a feeling something may have happened but didn't know what.

when I got home that afternoon I was surprised to see my dad home early, he was sitting on the couch with the news on. He turned and gave me the most serious look I had ever seen cross his face. I immediately grew quiet, sat down on the floor and stared at the TV as he began to explain to me the horrible things that had happened, and I strained to grasp them.

it seems fitting that I just finished the book 'extremely loud & incredibly close' by jonathan safran foer. the story about a boy, Oskar who loses his father in the 9/11 attacks on the world trade center. I cried at the end of the book, thinking about how many people from that day that are still searching for anything, some sort of meaning, to hold onto. It was certainly a day I will never forget, that our nation will never forget, and my thoughts go out to the thousands of people that lost loved ones on this day.