Many people don't often bring up the people who are actually born or have a birthday on 9/11. Maybe because you only have a 1/365 chance of getting it. My dad seems to have won that unfortunate jackpot.

Ten years ago, I woke up to go to school. I was 13 and in middle school. I remember it was a Tuesday because we had pizza the night before. Back then my dad had Sundays and Mondays off, so we always got pizza on Monday night. I got up like usual and got dressed. I would always put on my socks and shoes in the family room instead of my room because it gave me the excuse of watching TV while I did it. So I went to the family room and saw my dad there watching TV. I went up to him and gave him a hug, wishing him a happy birthday. I then sat down and watched TV. I remember what went through my mind. "Why is dad watching some cheesy movie? Why isn't he watching the news like he always does?" And then I realized it wasn't a movie, it was the news. I couldn't believe it. Seeing one of the World Trade Center towers in smoke and the other gone was something you'd see in a movie, not real life. I didn't want to leave for school because I wanted to keep watching. Right before we left, the second tower came down. I watched it live on television along with the rest of the country. We arrived late at school but the staff didn't care. Usually they would do tardy lockouts but they just told everyone to get to class as quickly as possible. My first class was Geography and the teacher was trying to get the TV working. Some students didn't know what was going on. Every since that day, my dad's birthday has had the dark cloud of a national tragedy over it. I can relate to families who had children born on that actual day, having to walk the thin like between celebration and solemn remembrance. My dad got lots of happy birthdays before then, so it's not that big a problem. So my heart goes out to all the families 9/11, and to anyone with a birthday on this day.