Its funny the things you remember from when you were little. Most of the time all we remember are bits and pieces of events from our childhood. There was one day from my childhood I remember all too well.

On September 11, 2001 I was 9 years old and in the 4^th grade. We had just started switching classes for math and language arts, which I was very excited about. It was also the first day of band, and I had decided I wanted to learn how to play the flute.

Looking back, I do remember a few things happening that day that were out of the ordinary. After we were done switching classes, I remember all of the 4^th grade teachers getting called up to the main office. The teachers never left all the students alone in the classrooms, but this time they did. When the teachers came back, I could tell something wasn’t right. At lunch that day I remember seeing a few moms from my neighborhood at the school picking up their kids. All I could think about at the time was how jealous I was of all my friends that got to leave school early that day. Band class was at the end of the day and to say I was excited was an understatement. I remember sitting in that front row waiting to learn how to put my flute together when I heard “Ally King please come to the front office for dismissal”. While I was excited to get out of school early, like any kid would be, I was disappointed that I was going to miss the first day of band.

I had no idea why I was getting out of school early. My parents were the type of parents that would only let us miss school if we were really sick. I remember walking to the main office and seeing my next-door neighbor walking down the hall to pick up her own children. I asked her what was going on and she said that she and my mom just decided to surprise us. When I got into the car with my mom, I remember her telling us not to talk. She was listening to the radio. When we got home, she was glued to the news. I was sitting in the room watching the news with her but I didn’t understand anything that was going on. I remember a caller calling in and explaining how the date is ‘911’ just like the number you call if you have an emergency. I can picture my mom putting her hand over her mouth and saying “oh my god” at that very moment.

Although I was only 9 years old at the time, the events that happened on September 11, 2001 have had a great impact on my life. I do not remember a time where I wouldn’t hear the word “terrorist” or “terror” or “terrorism” on the news every single day. Something that is so scary and so horrible has sadly become something that almost feels normal.