I woke up to a usual September day. It was the eleventh of the month; the summer sun was shining and the birds were chirping. It was actually one of the last warm days that New York would see as the season of autumn was approaching. I stretched and thought about my average day problems as any guy at the age of seventeen would. "Did I do all of my homework? Do I have to work tonight?. I started to get ready for school as my dad was almost out of the door to catch the train. My dad takes the train every morning to work in Manhattan. I've always envied him because he goes to New York City everyday. There are so many interesting people to see and there are fun things to do in the city. The city symbolizes freedom with out Statue of Liberty and our beautiful, tall towers. I left the house to go to high school. I would never have thought a day that started out so usual, would change my life forever.
I left for school promptly at seven o'clock a.m. and began my scheduled routine. I walked down my social studies wing and found that al the T.V'S were on and a massive amount of students were crowded around. I said to myself, "what could be so interesting on television?. I looked at the television and I saw the replay of two airplanes crashing into the .twin towers. which were located in Manhattan. My mouth hung open and the first thing I thought of was my dad, Tragic ideas kept haunting me about my dad. I tried to remember if the .twin towers. were near my dad's office. My mom picked me up from school at noon crying. My heart was beating a million times a minute. I asked with extreme concern if my dad was okay. She answered yes but I could tell by her fidgety gestures and the shakiness of her voice that the only thing she really wanted at that moment was to have her family together.
I drove home with my mom and I was petrified. I was scared of what could have happened if my dad was working in those buildings and I was scared for the safety of our country. Later that day, I found out that this attack caused massive destruction to the beautiful city which I loved. Thousands of people were reported dead or missing. The news tore , heart into pieces. Fireman, police officers and rescue workers were doing the best they could to help save these victims. They had to put their fear in the back of their mind and use their courage to help save the people in need. As I saw this on the television, I felt proud to be an American because of the help and support we all gave each other. I couldn't believe that this day had changed the outlook on life for millions of people.
September 11, 2001 will always be a memorable day for everybody in America. It's not a good memory, but it has taught us all a lesson. I lost the sense of innocence from my life since this occurred. I now know how horrible it is to feel unsafe in my own environment. I will never take life for granted. From this tragic experience, I've developed into a more responsible person. I am not afraid to express feelings to the people whom I love so much because I strongly believe the saying: "Live for today because you never know what could happen tomorrow...
