September 11: 25 Years Later

September 11, 2001: a date that would forever impact the United States.

Where were you on that tragic day? I was a 7th grader at the time, and it was an ordinary school day. All of a sudden, everyone was told that two buildings, which were the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center, collapsed in a matter of minutes. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives and that's when time stood still. The reaction across the country and the world ranged from shocked to sadness. Unfortunately, not even an hour after arriving at school, I was picked up early. I went upstairs to my bedroom and watched the rest of the news coverage of the attacks. My 13-year-old self struggled to process and understand why someone would do something like this. What led them to take the lives of innocent individuals? The fallen victims had families and I got emotional. There are evil people in this world and the terrorists that had absolutely no regards about human lives were an example of this. Even though I was raised in Texas, I was born in New York. I have relatives who still live in the latter state.

Us Americans came together in unity and remembered the lives that were lost in the September 11 attacks. Doing this action only made us stronger and also made America even stronger. This tragedy taught us that life was short and tomorrow was never promised. Two country music artists released powerful, heartfelt ballads paying tribute to the 9/11 victims: Alan Jackson and Darryl Worley. Jackson's song, Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning), was released in November 2001 from his 10th studio album Drive. Written by Jackson himself, the song won him his first Grammy for Best Country Song in 2003. Nearly a year and a half after Alan Jackson's song was released, Darryl Worley released the single Have You Forgotten? in March 2003. It was from his compilation album of the same name. The song ranked at number four on the US Billboard 200 and claimed the top spot on the Billboard US Top Country Albums. The album overall was certified gold by the RIAA.

A quarter century later, the devastating, tragic events of September 11 taught us to value our lives and live them well to the fullest. Since then, we've gone through challenging times in this country. However, we've found a way to come together and support one another. Keep the families of the aforementioned victims in your thoughts, because there were children who no longer had their parents in their lives to see them grow up. Be thankful that you're still here and standing tall. If you weren't born around 2001, you now have a full understanding of what Americans were going through at that time. We weren't going to let one devastating event stop us from living our lives. Sure, it shook us to the core, but at the end of the day, we're all Americans who refused to let the enemies win. And by enemies, I'm talking about the terrorists. We're still standing tall and we have to thank God that we're still here. Speaking of faith, no matter what higher power you believe in, it's important to rely on it in times of uncertainty and despair. Another thing that September 11 taught us was that regardless of political affiliation or beliefs, we aim to keep striving and not take our lives for granted.

So, on this anniversary, remember the nearly 3,000 victims who had their lives tragically cut short. Finally, as an American, tell the people close to you that you love them. We never know what tomorrow might bring, so live your life fully and express gratitude for the simple things in life.