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I remember what it felt like the day the attacks came on 9/11/01. At the time, I was working at my first job out of college, a high tech company with a big campus in Burlington, MA, Sun Microsystems; now Oracle I was a frontline tech support representative. We had several government contracts for the hardware servers for the US defense department. In the call center, CNN was on all the time. We had field hardware engineers in NJ and NY. My shift had started at 8A.
I know very little first hand about what first responders and military men and women go through to keep this country and our people safe. I will never ever forget the devastation I felt watching helplessly from my cubicle as I had noticed I lost connection to the engineers in NYC. And then casually looking up in disbelief when my colleagues and I saw the first crash into the WTC on television. I will always appreciate the heros who risked everything to help others. And of course, the ones that came after 9/11.
My heart will always have love for soldiers, the first responders and the sacrifices that they & their families make every single day to keep everyone safe.
I felt hope in this devastation by what became a loving rally throughout this country. The subsequent community and support that came after 9/11/2001 was the most hopeful time that I can recall, even being on this planet now for 47 years. How we came together in this crisis for months and even years after as a people gave me great pride to be a citizen of this country.
A few years ago I visited the 9/11 Memorial in NYC. It helped me remember and feel that pain again. This is necessary so that we heal. So that we find healing for our own hearts, and the hearts of all those intimately impacted by the tragic event. So that we rise above the hatred. I will never forget 9/11 and the friends I know who lost family members on the flights and in NYC and DC that day, and even after, whether it have been weeks later or years later.
