Reading all these posts about 9/11 has got me thinking...

about how it affected and changed my life. I was EXTREMELY fortunate and did not lose anyone close to me in the attacks, but it definitely had a profound effect on me. I was in graduate school at the time and I remember the morning that it happened, I was in class, and my professor REFUSED to cancel class even after everyone's cell phones were going off and what not. My father called me and told me to get in my car and come home and that everyone in the family was alright. I stood up and said to the professor, 'I'm leaving, and I think that it's unfair for you to keep the rest of these people here.' And I walked out. NO ONE FOLLOWED. Not one person followed. And I just remember that the following day, I went back to school and my ENTIRE department was just IGNORING what happened the day before, and I said to myself, 'What the hell am I doing here? Why the hell am I wasting my time?' And I dropped out of grad school. What happened on 9/11 made me realize that sitting in a classroom debating over whether or not Beethoven wore silk or wool shirts when composing was NOT how I wanted to spend my life. So I quit and decided that I really wanted to be a teacher and that I had to stop trying to continue with a degree and a career that I was 'supposed' to want. I saw it my entire college career, any musician that became a teacher was regarded as a joke and a fake, and I finally realized that it was really all of the people I was with that were fooling themselves into thinking they were important when they really weren't. They were contributing nothing to the world, and I didn't want to be a part of that anymore.
Ok, I just needed to share that. I don't know what it has to do with ANYTHING, but it was on my mind all evening.

Go you! WHat a jerk for not cancelling class- all my professors ran to the lounge with the students and watched CNN with them. My school closed immediately.

I think your story shows that SOME good came out of it all. I think a lot of people realized how precious life is and also saw that they were taking life and the people in it for granted.

Rach, I can sympathize....

Not being in NY on that horrible Day haunts me till this day. Like you, I was VERY FORTUNATE not to lose anyone. But I felt the pain...I was at work, here in RI....and once I hared of it, the whole family was calling my cell phone, the phone at work, telling me everyone was checked in, accounted for (had 2 cousins who worked near the WTC) I was shaken up, felt the need to just LEAVE>..go be with the ones I loved and cared about, my fellow NYers...so I got into my car...drove home to get FH and we drove to the ferry in New London, and were hom in LI...we sopent the next few days doing volunteer work, helping in food and suppplies drives, and even took the bus with the supplies into the City...it was the best thing for us....But back in RI---at work especially--it was just that---WORK..nothing chjanged, nothing different, my boss is so cold hearted, he always has been, and he was like MAD when we were trying to turn up the radios, or taking lunch to drive to ANY store that had tvs in it, so we could see what happened...what was going on...Well, SCREW HIM...he is from England, and it did not make much of an impact on him at all---he has no backbone....and on 9/11 I sent an email around for everyone to wear red,white and blue (and I made pins for all) and he was like, what is the purpose of wearing it that day? ITs not 4th of July.....
I was like....WHATEVER JERk!

that's an incredible story....
I'll share how my life has changed.....

My brother is in the Marines and since all of this has happened he's been a pretty active member of the forces overseas. He actually played a role in capturing one of Sadaam's officers. But he's been over in Iraq/Kuwait since February. Before he was over there, he and I used to have debates all the time about the military and the fact that i loathe violence. Since he's been over there though, I can't explain how proud I am of him and what he's doing. I never really thought about what it meant to be in the military before all of this happened. I never thought abut how much they sacrifice and how hard they work. I can finally appreciate all that they do for us. I hate that it had to take my brother being shipped off to a foreign hostile country for me to realize that....but I'm glad i had the opportunity...and that he's as happy as he is doing it!
Hopefully he'll be home next month too....

Thank you for sharing your story.

The owners of my company were like that who all happened to be out of the office on 9/11.

They didn't know how we felt being in Manhattan in some cases not being able to get home or even reach loved ones.

They didn't understand why NONE of us felt it was necessary to come into the city on 9/12.

They didn't get that in the scheme of things 'the job' is not that important to the rest of us that do not have our names on the front door.

Palebride---

Its people like your brother who keep our Country together!! I have a best friend in the Army, luckily he is only in the reserves now and is not in the War Mess...but he did Desert Storm, and he would go into the war in a heartbeat if he was told to. I have such a newer respect for the military....so many are around my age, which makes it hurt even more...I wish they could just all come back home and safe!!

To your brother and his fellow Marines & happy wishes and thoughts for his safe return!

Thank you girls for sharing. I like hearing the stories. I guess it just makes me feel human.
Holly, see, I was in NY on 9/11, I still lived here at that time, but it took me until 9/11 last year to realize how differently people in other states reacted. Last year when I was in MA on 9/11, I kept hearing things like, 'Oh, we deserved it.' and other ridiculous, cruel things from people who I never would have imagined saying that. I KNOW everyone in this country was affected some way or another, I just wish that more good would have come out of it. It just seems like things have gone back to the way they were before all of that happened. People still running red lights and rushing and pushing and screaming and cursing and blah, blah, blah. I just wish that it didn't take the 2 year anniversary for people to remember the feelings of wanting to be a better person that came with the attacks. And I'm guilty too, I just need to find a way to keep reminding myself to be better.

9/11 is one of those days that unfortunatly none of us will ever forget where we were and what we were doing!

Palebride We are proud of ure brother and u need to tell him that!!!!

i am so incredibly proud of him and what he is doing...i had my students write letters to him and his fellow marines last year. the kids were so excited about it and they got all into the assignment. and then one troubled boy said to me, completely out of no where...'I hope he dies and never comes back.' I had no idea what to do in that situation. Here I was in a classroom full of students. I kept my calm and went on with the class. after school that day i was telling another teacher what happened and realized how upset i was about it...so, crying, i had to go to my principal and tell her what happened. she called the boy in and spoke to him with me there....he left the room in tears as well. he was removed from my class that afternoon.

to this day, i still cannot understand what i could have done to this boy to make him say such a hateful thing to me. to make him put my biggest fear into words and speak it outloud. it was truly one of the worst moments of my lilfe.

well, the o0ne girl I used t work with who I considered a friend, she was just like me---she has a big warm heart and she was just as devastated as me, so we could sympathize with each other...

But I feel Like you do Rach,. that it was a 'quick fix' to feel Americanized----but people are sitll giving the finger, still fighting, killing, shooting, running red lights, disrespecting neighbors, families are breaking apart....

But I feel I have changed...I realized to value the small things in life, just seeing a flag blow slowly in the wind, watching babies wobble their first steps...firemen rushing to fires, ambulance personnel responding to calls for help....cops trying to keep things calm, even firemen standing at the intersections with a boot to get peoples loose change...

9/11 will always be with me, I hurt for the families that have lost loved ones, babies and children that will never know a parent, and the ones who knew their parents for so long and lost them in that brief amount of time...lives changed forever...It has helped me slow down a little bit...take in all I can because you never know what can happen...

OMG, that is awful, palebride. I'm happy to hear they removed him from your class. A lot of schools would not have done that. Isn't is so sad how someone so young can say something so cruel? Chances are he was just looking for attention, but being a child, I don't think they really understand how powerful words are.

FH and I were talking about how right after 9/11 America changed but it feels like we kinda went back to the way we use to be