I know that I am one day late on this mainly because I was in New York City for a long stay and I had three straight days of hard work afterward, but I did want to write a few things about the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 11. September 2001.

I was living in Heidelberg Germany at the time after having moved there one week earlier. I still did not have a cell phone, I had no TV and the internet was something I browsed with a one hour library reservation once a week. Also my camera was an old school point and shoot camera with old school film that was not meant for night time photos. Hence, the extremely poor quality shot of the candlelight vigil on the University Square in Heidelberg above.

It’s so strange to think that this terrible event happened 25 years ago and how the entire world has changed and to an extent become such a sadder place since then. At the time of the attacks I had not seen any TV coverage of what was going on. Only the next morning did I see the newspaper front pages. At the time I was enrolled in a German language course for advanced expert students (yes I was an advanced German speaker after starting to learn the language just two years prior) and in the classroom we had a television. So we were able to watch the news coverage and see Ground Zero and the destruction and havoc and sorrow that was present. It was heartbreaking. It made me sad. It made me angry.

I have seen a number of videos and news articles about this 25th anniversary. I even read some in German language just to take me back to what it was like to experience this as an American student studying abroad in Europe. I remember going to a telephone booth the next day to call my parents and speaking with my mother about it. A sad moment and yet this was one of the most memorable conversations I had with the one person who believed in me the most and was always ALWAYS showing me support, encouragement, and love as a young adult. I miss her so much. The world would be a much better place if we had more people like my late mother.

Some people may wonder why I never refer to the terrorist attacks on this day as 9/11. During the time I was living in Germany and speaking in German pretty much the entire time. One year later (in August 2002) when I returned to the United States, I remember getting off the plane in Atlanta and expecting to see my parents at the gate. They weren’t there. After waiting a while I decided to go down to baggage claim (Remember I had no cell phone after just returning to the States.). At baggage claim, my parents were there waiting and greeted me. I remember my father saying, “Eversince 9/11 they don’t let families go to the terminal gates anymore.” That was the very first time I had heard the term 9/11. After all prior to that I had just heard the words, “Die Terroranschläge des 11. Septembers 2001”. Such a poignant moment for me and I kind of knew that nothing was going to be the same in the United States ever again.

I mourn those who perished on that day and grieve with their families and friends.

The world seems like a sadder place now all these years later. However, I still think there can be hope and light in this world in times of darkness.