I was alone at home when we were attacked seventeen years ago. I received the horrible news from my writing buddies online, and the shock of it sank in more and more deeply as the day wore on. Do you remember?

One of our friends was in New York City at a medical conference when it happened. He and other colleagues were bussed to a medical aid unit near the towers. They waited for injured patients that never came. The attack destroyed thousands. Do you remember?

Another friend was at a writer’s conference several states away from home. All airline flights were canceled, and she didn’t get home for several days–by bus. The skies were empty as the cockpits were fitted with impervious doors and our country was shielded from further attacks. Do you remember?

We visited Ground Zero some years later. It was a vast wasteland of destruction. I could not stop crying as I felt the impact of all those lives lost in that very place. I will always remember. I can never forget.