Remembering 9/11

There are two reasons why I look back at that day with sadness.

HURRICANE INIKI

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When I was 7 years old we moved to the island of Kauai in Hawaii from Michigan.  Two months after we moved, on September 11th, 1992, Hurricane Iniki struck. I can't believe it was 20 years ago, because I remember how I felt like it was yesterday. I was in first grade at the time and hadn't made too many friends since school had just started, but I was good friends with a lot of the neighborhood kids. I remember going with my family members into the hallway of our rented 3-bedroom house in Kapaa.  We turned the kitchen table on its side and placed it in front of the hallway entrance.  We waited in the hallway for what seemed like hours and I do recall taking several long naps.  When I woke up, it was the eye of the storm and it was eerily quiet. 

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Apparently the storm was only 40 minutes long.  It seemed like eternity to a 7 year old. It was the most destructive hurricane to hit Hawaii in recorded history.  It had winds of over 145 mph and damage was over $1.8 Billion dollars in 1992 dollars.  In reading more about the hurricane on Wikipedia {my memory isn't that good}, electricity was restored six weeks after the hurricane and we were back in school two weeks after the hurricane hit.  Our rental had minimal damage, but I know that wasn't the case for everyone. We were very lucky and thankful to have survived.   

9/11 WTC ATTACK

As many of you probably understand, I remember exactly where I was when I found out about the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.  It was during first period (Yearbook) in my Junior year of high school. I remember walking into class that morning and seeing a TV in the middle of the classroom which was odd. We usually worked on computers for the whole period, so I knew something was going on.  I remember turning the corner and seeing the two buildings on fire, it is a moment that is burned into my memory.  I also remember coming home from school and just praying with the whole family, holding hands.  We watched CNN all day long and when they had the live feed of the towers, you could actually make out the bodies of people jumping from the building. It was just so terrible to see and I think when CNN realized what was happening, they cut the live feed.  But that is something I will never forget. 

Just by chance, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close arrived in the mail from netflix last week and Jake and I watched it yesterday. We both read the book recently and really enjoyed it, as much as you can enjoy a book like that.  The movie was very well done, but just so sad.  It really makes you think about what it's like to lose a loved one, not just in 9/11 but anytime. 

My heart goes out to everyone {and their families} that lost their lives in 9/11.  You will never be forgotten.