Never forget

A little over 15 years ago, in August of 2001, I got to visit New York City with my mom, who was visiting from India. My uncle, who worked (and still works) in the City, took us around to do all the usual "touristy" stuff. And, yes, we checked The World Trade Center off our list, along with the Statue of Liberty and other iconic sights of NYC. Little did we know what was to come just a month later.

Shocking, unbelievable, devastating, heartbreaking - these words cannot even express the emotions of that day 15 years ago in September. I know that so many people, including me, can attest to the fact that they will never forget the moment they heard about the attacks on 9/11. I remember turning on the TV at home in North Carolina when I heard about the first plane crashing into the North Tower, and watching in complete disbelief as the events unfolded. I just remember thinking that it felt unreal. While my classes at grad school weren't canceled that day, students and teachers were walking around the campus looking dazed. The (Iranian) professor that I was a Teacher's Assistant to blew off our meeting that day, nor did he show up to teach his scheduled class - I thought it was odd at the time but now can only imagine how he had felt that day. Everyone was on edge. Cars were being randomly stopped and checked by campus police, including ours. The tension in the air was palpable. It was also agonizing waiting to hear if my uncle was safe and if the rest of my family and friends in New York were okay as well.

It makes my heart hurt thinking of all those lives lost, and others that were changed forever - and all because of the hatred and intolerance of a few. The complete and utter horror of that day will forever be etched in my memory, as will the actual terror and helplessness that I felt.  Overriding the despair I felt, though, what also stood out during that difficult time were all the acts of courage and kindness that followed the attacks. Those made me tear up as much as the tragedy unfolding in front of us. It proved that there were more people in this world that cared about one another than the ones that wanted to destroy others that were different from them. Let us all hope that those good people of the world win out against the others that want to destroy it.

As always, I am praying for all the people and families that were affected by the terrible acts of that day, and the many more horrible events that have followed it since.