Seventeen years ago today, I was a senior in college at The University of Tulsa. Tuesdays that semester were my favorite day. I took Art History in the mornings with one of my favorite teachers and then, usually had lunch with friends from that class.
That afternoon, I always took Photoshop and then trudged over to Kendall Hall where I worked at TUTV, the campus news station. It was to be an average, ordinary Tuesday.
Then it wasn't so ordinary.
I got up in the morning to see my mom watching the news. This wasn't unusual; she does it every morning. It was the way she was watching, with horror in her eyes.
I looked at the television to see what I mistakenly thought was an accident; one of the World Trade Towers had been struck by a plane! But then the other hit and we knew it was no accident.
Immediately I was afraid. What if something happened at my school? My mother insisted I go and she stayed at the campus that day. She wasn't the only parent who did that. For the next week or two, I saw many parents with their kids at the University.
It has been 17 years and I still remember exactly how I felt when I first saw it. How it felt at the campus for weeks. How it felt to watch the news and try not to feel rage over what happened. Those first weeks afterward were life altering not just for those directly affected but for all of us.
Where were you when 9/11 happened? What are your memories? Be sure to tell someone you love them today because they could be gone in an instant.
#weremember9/11
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