reflections in the water

It's 6 years later....6 years after the infamous 9/11 terrorist attack on the U.S. 6 years of remembering and 6 years of heightened alert. 6 years of trying to forget. 6 years of trying to heal.
Time.com posted an article regarding 9/11, click here to read it.
Multiple statements in the article really struck me:
• There are the moms sending children who never met their fathers off to their first day of kindergarten.
• There are the first responders who are discovering that they are sick and in need of treatment, including 2000 New York City fire fighters.
• The 9/11 attack united us; the response to it divides us.
and I began to think about how I view the world differently today than I viewed the world 6 years ago...and how both of those views are drastically different than 6 years and one day ago.
I was a typical suburban-born 20 year old. I was oblivious to the war-stricken world that lies beyond my borders. I felt safe and never even wondered about possible terrorist attacks, never imagined any possible threat could reach me. I was honestly astounded on September 11, 2001. Shocked, as most people were, at what was taking place. But, I was also lost in how?! How could our power-house country be crippled like this? How could we be shaken to our very core? And Why? Why would anyone want to do this to us? It was the first time in my life that I realized I was part of a much-much bigger whole...not just part of a team or a family or a school, but part of a country. In my reflections today, I remember those who were lost. I remember the lives that were changed forever. And I pray for those who have picked up the pieces and moved forward, not forgetting the past, but looking to the future. I pray for the kindergartners and the rescue workers, and the families, co-workers, and friends.
I will not forget.