9/11/01.

September 11th. A day I will never forget. I was born and raised in the MD/DC area. I left in January of 2013 for Alaska. What a time it was to be in MD. It had always been my home. It is impossible to forget that feeling.

That day, the people of our country stood strong and bonded together. It did not matter where we came from, or what we believed in. We were all human. We saw each other as humans. Our hearts took over. How quickly we forget.

It is my duty to make a mention here. As a proud American, and to those that I personally knew that were directly affected. To those who lost their lives in the war thereafter, and to those who continue to do so. To the first responders who immediately arrived at the various scenes. To the families of those that I did not know, who lost loved ones that morning. To those that had a front seat to the events of this day, and live with the horror in their minds.

On the morning of September 11th, some folks left for their flights, and others commuted to their workplaces. Those particular folks gave a typical farewell to their wives, husbands, and children. They had plans that evening. They had goals, hopes, and dreams. They had upcoming vacations. They had career-changing work meetings that morning. They were flying to meet loved ones or for business. They were somebody's grandaughter, grandson, grandma, grandpa, daughter, son, mother, father, sibling, niece, nephew, cousin, and so on.

Most of those people did not make it home. Those particular people and their families, had no idea that they would end up being met with such a horrific tragedy.

Some of them happened to oversleep for work that morning, miss their flight, or had plans to go into work later. Those people would soon be left with a life-changing impression.

After all, September 11th was initially just a day. The point is, they were people like you and me. To those who love you, let them. To those who you love, let them know every day that they are loved and appreciated. Lift people up. Live with purpose. Live with peace and a smile. We will never know when our 'typical day' will take a turn.

Whether derived from state or non-state actors, abroad or on our soil, terrorism is a never-ending battle. It is a deep-rooted "war." It is religious, ideological, and based on other intangible ideas. Those will not simply go away. Stay vigilant.

Here is something about the personal feeling that I wrote on Facebook two years ago.

"Just when you think you've semi-hardened up to this day of atrocity with time, you realize you were wrong. I'll never forget where I was this day, as most won't. I was getting out of bed, and I didn't have to go into work until that afternoon to start my day doing hair. I can't say that at 19, I fully understood what was actually happening. In fact, it took most of the day to sink in. Living in the MD/DC/VA (we all know they're the same) area was frightening. We didn't know what was going to happen next. Work was eerily silent. I remember the out-of-state phone calls pouring in asking if I was okay. Of course I was...at that point I realized how real it really was. Chances were, most in the area were closely acquainted to those working at high target establishments, or worked at one ourselves. I knew one or two myself. Camp David also seemed a likely target, and that wasn't far from us at all. I looked over my shoulder for quite a while afterward, and just pictured every gas pump and building exploding as I would walk upon their premise. In a way, I came to peace with that notion. Those a-holes had left their mark on this gal. As I browsed related photos tonight via Instagram hashtag, I found myself breaking down in tears; especially photos uploaded by the people directly affected. Photos of loved ones, etc. Even after 12 years, this day is still very much alive in our heads, as well as our hearts. May God bless those who were more affected than I, and for the rest for the mark that it left. Never forget."

-Lisa