Sarah, a senior in high school, usually didn’t appear for her dash to the bus until 6:30 a.m., so I knew something was wrong when she came to our bedroom door just before 6 o’clock. “Mom, Dad, the DJ on the radio just said a plane crashed into the World Trade Center in New York! It sounds pretty serious.” Just then the phone rang — my sister calling to tell me to turn on the T.V. and relaying a similar message. The rest of the morning comes back to me in flashes of images — most from the news coverage we watched in horror — and, more clearly, a wash of emotions that return all too easily when I think about that day. Sarah left for school as my husband and I and Jenny continued watching, trying to understand what was happening. The second plane striking the south tower made it clear this was not some bizarre accident, and then came the first reports of some sort of explosion at the Pentagon. Later, worst of all, I remember the sensation of actual physical pain in my chest as the south tower crumbled; and I spoke, unaware, out loud, what had been on my mind and in my heart all morning: “All those souls!” The knowledge that so many innocents — just people going to work, traveling for business or pleasure, living their everyday lives — had been lost in those moments crushed me. Jenny, our tall 13-year-old, crawled into her daddy’s lap and sobbed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, seeking solace from the shock and disbelief we all felt. Later, she would go to school and her dad to work, and I continued to watch the unbelievable images. The only facts that seemed incontrovertible were that America had been attacked and that untold numbers of people had been killed. I could not fathom the depth of hate, the extent of evil that could exist to unleash the horrors of that morning. So much was surreal in the next several days: the quiet in the skies with no commercial flights; the devastation in New York, D.C. and the field in Pennsylvania; the fear and uncertainty whether there was more to come. At the same time, incredible stories of bravery, kindness, miraculous survival and simple human goodness emerged to provide salve to the shock and sadness. We honor the lives lost and the heroes born ten years ago today. Even while we remember the pain that evil wrought, we also recall the concern expressed for our country by people of good will throughout the world. We respect those who sacrifice to keep us safe and free, those who work for peace and a better world, those who refuse to let that day and its losses define who they are or how they live. — Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor Please visit our website for a special memorial tribute and read our special edition of the eFlyer USA newsletter for further remembrances by our GT staff.