a day to remember.

{circa 2003}

i was a little girl eleven years ago today, one who woke up early in the morning to go to school and found her mom crying on the telephone. it was about something i didn't understand, so i made my oatmeal and sat on the cold bar stool, feeling strangely uneasy. 

i was small, and saw the tragedy through the innocent eyes of a child. 

now i look back and understand, with a strong feeling of love for my country. my family has a sturdy military background, and both of my parents have formerly worked for a bay area police department. we possess a respect for the first-responders, and also a fiery sense of patriotism. 

september 11 breaks my heart. i get teary-eyed thinking of all the families whose lives took a tragic turn that day, and chills when i hear stories of heroism. although my country isn't perfect, i truly do love it. i respect President Bush for his honorable and sweet actions in the classroom that day, and for the police officers and firefighters that gave everything to save those in need. 

we didn't have television in 2001, so my family bundled up the babies and went over to my aunt's house to watch the news coverage. it was a confusing time, one that infused a sense of heartache and unity throughout the whole country. one of my most vibrant memories comes in the form of a simple moment with my dad. 

my cousins and i were playing outside, when he called us in. 

i'll never forget the look in his eyes as he said, "you all need to come inside. your president is speaking."

my president was speaking. i was nine-years-old, and my father's words reverberated with a sense of respectful pride. my country had been attacked, but my president was speaking, and it was time to stand with the rest of my country and listen.

President Bush ended his speech with words that are still firmly branded in my mind. "i pray they will be comforted by a power that's greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23. 'even though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, i fear no evil, for you are with me'....none of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom, and all that is good and just in our world. thank you, goodnight, and God bless America."