I was living in California at the time and I was getting ready for school in the morning. I remember walking into my mom’s bathroom and she was just sitting there crying. There are few time I had ever seen her cry which meant that something was terribly wrong, but I didn’t yet know what was happing. I kept trying to console her and say everything would be ok, when she looked at me and said, “No it won’t.” I was scared by her response and thats when she took me to the t.v. and showed me the Towers collapsing. It was surreal. I still went to school that day and during prayer my teacher began sobbing in front of the whole class. There was crying around the nation that day. There was anger, fear and a strong desire for togetherness. I was in the 5th grade and a week later I cleaned out my piggy bank and my candy stash and put them in a big envelope for a family friend to send them to New York and assist the Firefighters… because I felt they needed something sweet in their turmoil and I wanted to help in any positive way. I was glued to the news everyday to celebrate survivors found and pray for those who were not with the hope that they would be. Getting older, that day carries more weight and impact. It is a day that will never be forgotten as many innocent lives were lost and not the day our country fell apart, but the day our country truly came together in an outpouring of love and compassion for each other- for America.