September 11, 2001, 8:46 AM. I was 5 years old.

I was sitting in my Kindergarten classroom, just like every other Tuesday. I don't remember what we were talking about or what was being taught, but I remember my teacher being called out of the room. I didn't understand what was happening, but I remember my parents didn't act like themselves that day.

Only being 5 years old, that day didn't really effect me like it did so many others at that time. I have to say I'm extremely thankful for that. I wasn't old enough to truly understand so even though it effects me now, it is in a different way than those who were older.

As the years have gone by, I have watched the videos and documentaries, listened to the heartbreaking songs and stories explaining what happened, and I have seen the faces of the nearly 3,000 men, women, and children who died that day. I have witnessed the anguish and hatred shown by countless people towards others who either do or are assumed to follow the same religious practices of the men who hijacked those planes that day.

It breaks my heart because when those men hijacked the planes, they also hijacked their religion. They instantly placed a negative perception on those who choose to practice that religion and people today are still receiving hate for it. Those men didn't discriminate against a specific type of person. Christian, Muslim, Atheist - They attacked us all. They attacked us as a country, right where it hurt the most.

In a time where people are pushing for the most recognition of their issues, or fighting for change with what they find most important, what we should be working towards is coming together as a nation just like we did that day. Instead of discriminating and pushing people away, we should be moving forward and building a strong foundation within each other. Because even though I was too young to truly understand what was happening, I remember watching thousands of people come together without hesitation in a time of crisis. I remember watching African Americans, Caucasians, Native Americans, Asians, Indians, and all other races stand side-by-side to get through that horrific day in our history.

They tried to break us, but we wouldn't even bend. As Americans, we showed our resilience. We came together despite our differences because even though we are not related biologically, we were all family on 9/11. Whether it be physically or emotionally, we were all attacked, and we stood together as a nation.

We remember that day and its events. We remember the sorrow and the lives lost. We remember the feeling of that day. 15 years later and life still coexists with death. Life goes on and we move forward, together.