I Remember.

I still think about it. Especially today, as I look at the American flag flying at half-mast atop the Space Needle. I think about those who were lost, and hurt for those who have to live with the grief of it.

I had just moved into a new apartment, and didn’t have a television. It was hours later when I walked into work that I learned what had happened. It was just before the beginning of my sophomore year at Western. I an attempt to avoid debt, I was working as a hostess at the Olive Garden. I had to open the restaurant that morning, and normally I would enter through the double swinging doors and be greeted by my co-workers, the hustle and bustle of a restaurant coming to life, and the annoyingly cheerful Italian music that perpetually played in the background. On September 11, 2001 I was greeted with silence. Had I accidentally arrived an hour too early?

Suddenly I realized that the servers, bartenders, cooks and even managers were gathered around the bar, listening to a tiny radio. Another hostess came out of the bathroom with red-rimmed eyes. “What’s going on?” I cried. “They bombed the World Trade Center… a plane…” she said in a confused voice. After speaking to someone slightly less hysterical, I discovered what had happened. I was filled with feelings of dread and fear, shock and denial. At that point in the day, details of the terrible tragedy were still sketchy, and all we could do was watch and listen in horror as the images played and replayed across the television. I remember feeling relief when the news networks finally stopped showing the playback of United Airlines flight 175 slamming into the face of the South Tower. I didn’t want to watch, but I couldn’t look away.

On December 11, 1941 the death toll at Pearl Harbor reached 2,400 and jolted the United States into World War II. On September 11, 2001 it was worse. There were 2,973 people killed, including 246 on the four planes, 2,602 in New York City in the towers and on the ground, and 125 at the Pentagon. Among the fatalities were 343 New York City Fire Department firefighters, 23 New York City Police Department officers, and 37 Port Authority Police officers. An additional 24 people remain listed as missing to this day.

After five years, it’s easy to forget… to allow the horrifying details to fade from our minds. We can't let this to happen. Each and every soul who perished on 9/11 must be remembered. They were husbands, wives, mothers, brothers. They woke up that morning the same way you did today. They showered, kissed their children goodbye. Stopped for coffee on the way to work. Applied lipstick in the car. Checked their email when they arrived at work. It was just another day.

It’s important to remind ourselves how precious life is, and that it can be taken away at any second. So take a moment today to tell someone that you love them, because you never know if you won’t get a second chance. And say a prayer for those who were lost five years ago, for their families who still live without them. Don’t forget.