Ten years ago, I was being driven to school by my father, when I first heard that something had happened. I didn’t understand what was going on at first, all I could tell was that my Dad was very worked up about ‘something’ that had happened. In class all of my classmates seemed to be in a similar boat, we were all held our breaths to see what the teachers and adults around us would say and do. My 2nd grade teacher seemed to be walking on pins and needles, she was very worried, but did not give a hint as to what she was worried about. I finally found out what this ‘something’ was when, my teacher turned the television on for a minute. The picture that was shown on the screen was of a large imposing building with a large ash cloud of smoke rising from it. The teacher quickly turned it off, it seemed like she wasn’t supposed to turn the TV on, but her anxiety over the whole issue must have been to great. After all she may have had family who worked in the World Trade Center or in the surrounding area. The next thing I can remember is there being and announcement on the loud speaker, it called for one of my classmates to come to the main office. I can still remember this 8-year-old’s face, as he walked from the back of the class, two rows behind me, to the front and out the door. There was and eerie silence as he opened the door and it closed behind him. I never did find out whether or not that little boy was one family member short on that day.

All I can really say that I felt was that I really didn’t know how to feel, I was a bit frightened because I didn’t understand what was going on. But this was mostly due to the way all of the adults around me were acting, unsure and worried.I didn’t know of anyone personally who worked in the Twin Towers, or any of the people who worked to save them, all I know is that my Dad worked in the city, and I was lucky that he was busy dropping me off at school, instead of going to work.

A couple days later, as I really began to understand what had happened, from watching the new and speaking with my parents about it, the only real question left to me was, why?

Even now, I can not fathom the sorrow and pain that so many people experienced on that day ten years.