In September of 2001, I had taken a year off of school and was working at a christian bookstore in Pompton Plains, NJ.
Before going in, my Dad called and told me to put on the TV- the World Trade Center was on fire.

I remember September 11th was the day a new christian worship album was going to be released- and we were to prepare for higher-than-average sales.
But as the mornings events unfolded, I called out of work. It was too much.

The fate of NYC- just over the Hudson seemed so unreal, so impossible. But by the following morning, a grayish haze filled the skies of our neighborhood- the cinders of the trade towers were passing by. A silent grief encompassed my mind as I witnessed the floating embers.

As the days passed, people came into our bookstore, looking for comfort. They shared stories of lost loved ones and shattered dreams. And all of us were afraid.

To this day I still silently grieve for the victims, their families, the heroes, and to every human being that witnessed these horrific events.