looking back to 8 years ago

i should have known it wasn't going to be a regular day when the sounds of scooby doo didn't inform me that adam was out of the shower so it was my turn to get ready for school. i thought only for a minute on scooby doo, but proceeded to roll out of bed & get my school clothes ready for after my shower. i almost wish now that i had just stayed in bed. when i opened my bedroom door that morning, adam quickly stated, "someone flew a plane into the world trade center!" i admit i wasn't fully awake or comprehending what he had said. so i went into the kitchen where he was, and looked at the tv reporting news.
i couldn't believe what i was seeing & hearing. who would do such a thing? was it an accident? and what were the world trade centers? i had no idea. i realize how silly that is now, but i am from a smaller town in idaho and was in high school, and didn't care much for the world. when the second plane hit, i was even more confused at what was going on. i remember getting to school and a girl was running up and down the hallways yelling that it was the end of the world and the pentagon had been hit by another airplane as well. every class i went to had the tv on and tuned to the news stations. well, every class but math. my teacher told us that we had had enough of it all day and that for one hour we could focus on something else. i was grateful for the break, but also wanted to know if there were more airplanes suddenly crashing into other important buildings. i know all flights were grounded, but somehow i still worried.
many of us, if not all, will always remember exactly where we were, what we were doing, and what happened that day forever. i know that many elderly people remember events from their lifetimes just as significant as 9/11 is for us today. almost 3,000 people were killed. some gave their lives willingly for others, and some were not so fortunate to have a choice in the matter. i know that i am grateful i live the United States of America. what blessings we have because of it. freedom isn't free, but we do have a choice. we are the land of the free because of the brave. i think we are all brave in our own ways. i am thankful for the opportunities and the rights and freedoms i have. God bless America! we live in a time of hardship, but we must remember that there could and there is always much worse things that can be reality. thank you to all those men, women, and children who have died for our country.