The morning of September 11, 2001 was any other school day for me, eager to be in school and to learn something new that day. But what I couldn’t help but do while my teacher was conducting the lesson was stare out the window as an abundance of smoke clouded the sky. I didn’t realize it then but that was the moment the towers had fallen. No later than thirty minutes did my teacher inform us that school was ending early and our parents were coming to pick us up. I was eager to see my mom because it just so happens to be her birthday but she wasn’t smiling. The whole walk home she didn’t talk to me or tell me what was going on. It was only when I walked into the house with the television already on and the news coverage right before my eyes.

I was just speechless. I sat in front of the television listening, watching, taking it all in and in that moment I began sobbing, thinking where is my dad and my older sister who worked in the vicinity. My mom took a seat next to me on the floor and hugged me tight and we sat there with our eyes glued on the news coverage for hours. I didn’t know what to think let alone what my mother would be thinking but it didn’t take long for all my fears to come to a halt when both my father and sister walked through the front door. I couldn’t be more happy to see them in that moment but my heart was still hurting.

Days went by, weeks even and everyone still struggled to make sense of the tragedy that befell on us. The footage of firefighters searching through the rubble for bodies was disheartening and even the loss of my teachers’ cousin made it difficult to go on and live a normal life. This event made me appreciate my loved ones more and for those that lost theirs, my heart goes out to them every year on this day. It’s one that should never be forgotten and I think the September 11 Digital Archive succeeds in doing just that.

The archive is a digital tool for any and everyone to mourn the loss, honor the brave and always remember but never forget. The pictures, videos, faces of different people from all walks of life that flood the computer screen is overwhelming but the realization of this tragedy is evident. Yes, every year on September 11th I am happy to celebrate my mother’s birthday but I also like to take the time out to remember what the nation lost as a whole. With the archive operating, there is no amount of information that cannot be viewed to remind us all of what we’ve gone through but also persevered in moving forward with our lives while still remembering. This is one digital tool that has the power to imprint history into the lives of thousands with just a few clicks of a mouse.