9/11 10 years on

Rescuers bringing out the first victim from the Towers, Father Mike.

I feel like I should acknowledge the events of September 11, 2001 and I like the way Reading Through the Night did her post, a list of thoughts. So, that's what I am going to do as well.

• The photo above (source) was the centerpiece of an NPR story I heard a couple days ago, the first for me as I began to remember the events of September 11, 2001
• I live in California so was extremely lucky that no one I know was directly affected by the terrorist attack
• In the fall of 2002 I traveled to the Middle East. I remember my then husband, who is Arab, being followed into airport bathrooms, having issues at passport control, and even being detained as we went down the gangplank onto the plane. My daughter and I were ushered along, never allowed to stay with him while he was questioned. This for a man who had lived in the US for 30 years.
• I remember holding my daughter who was 11 months old as I stood in our bedroom watching the events unfold on television. The bedroom curtains were open and as I looked out the window across our backyard I saw my neighbor doing the same thing as our eyes connected.
• A few years ago I visited Ground Zero and felt let down, which I know is silly. I wanted a memorial with names and stories, but instead we saw construction crews and a green fence with some information
• A couple years ago I visited the Pentagon, which does have a wonderful memorial in place. It really hit home when I saw that the building's stone is a different color in the section they had to rebuild.
• Terrorists never have to attack the US again. With the actions of 9/11 they changed the way we travel, how we feel about the Middle East and Muslims, the books we read, the movies that are made, and much more.