8:46 is when the first plane hit.

At 8:46, as a nation, we cried, shared grief, and wallowed in questions that couldn’t be answered. But at 8:46, we realized that as a nation we can never fall. We are too strong and patriotic to recline and let our nation crumble.

This lugubrious occurance in our history took place when I was too young to understand, and I thought we just had a half-day of school. None of the tales told really hit me until I was old enough to recognize how many people yearn for their loved ones who were forcefully taken away.

What captured my attention and what will always be engraved in my memory is the wall of fliers. The wall of unfamiliar faces that had so much meaning. That wall had so many unspoken “I love yous” and last words. It’s just disheartening to know that this unfortunate event could not only change a nation, but change lives forever.