I remember the stupid details of that day.

Getting ready to go to school, hearing something on the radio about the twin towers being hit and thinking they meant the Petronas Towers. Even at 15 I was probably too globally minded for my own good. Plus, they couldn’t mean in New York. Things like that don’t happen in America.

Getting to school and sitting in huddled, quiet, tearful groups watching the the live broadcast of the horrible events of the day play out.

It was a Tuesday.

I’ll never forget that because we had youth group that night. It wasn’t canceled. Instead it was a long prayer meeting.

I remember a catholic friend of mine joined me at youth that night. She prayed not only for the living but the dead. My youth group was nondenominational and charismatic and I remember someone saying something to me about how it was wrong for my friend to pray for the dead because she couldn’t help them anymore.

I wanted to hit them.

Even on that day stupid, insignificant religious details couldn’t be put aside. At that moment I knew that the sudden surge of patriotism and camaraderie was only temporary.

That naive 15 year old me was right. Unfortunately. We are more divided than ever. Our worlds were turned upside down by truly evil people and instead of rising above it all and taking it as a wake up call people used it for profit. People, American people, profited off the horrific deaths of innocent Americans.

It makes me so sick and sad.

We let the terrorists win.

Their goal was not to kill people on that one day. Their goal was to divide us and change the way we live every. single. day.

They did.

We let them.

As a flight attendant I’m reminded daily just exactly how different our lives are. How much they continue to change.

I wasn’t going to write at all today. There are so many who have put this day into words so much better than I ever could.  I don’t pretend like I have anything unique or special to say. It was on my mind though and wanted to be written. I’m disappointed in our country right now. I know it could be so much better.

While this post reflects that disappointment I haven’t lost hope. I know that this country could be great if we could start focusing on what matters. People matter. So many details are just so insignificant.