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By Kimberly Wade: That is how many days … weeks … months … and finally years have passed since one of the worst tragedies in American history. The events of Sept. 11, 2001, forever changed the lives of so many all across our great country. Coincidentally, those are also the same number of days, weeks, months and years that I have thanked God each day for saving my life. Whether it was a headache or divine intervention, the events of that September day in 2001 greatly impacted me and continue to do so to this day.

Growing up in Manchester, I remember walking around town with friends. talking about what we envisioned our future to be. Who would we marry? What would our jobs be? Would there be two, three or even four kids? Never once was there ever a thought of whether or not we would be a part of American history.

Today, I am happy to say that I am married, have a great job and two incredible children. At the same time, I can say that I was a part of American history. I witnessed firsthand the terrorist attacks on New York City 10 years ago. I lived through something that my children will learn about in school. My parents remember where they were when JFK was shot. I will forever remember where I was on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.

In 2010, I went back to New York for my roommate's wedding. My husband, Travis, having never been to New York City, was in complete awe. The skyscrapers, the hustle and bustle, everything. It truly is the city that never sleeps. During our whirlwind tour of the city, we hit the all the tourist attractions --Central Park, Times Square, Rockefeller Center and the Statue of Liberty. I was proud to be able to show him my old stomping grounds. It seemed to me as though New York hadn't missed a beat.

As we rounded a corner in lower Manhattan, a wave of emotions took over me. I was looking at the footprint of where the Twin Towers once stood. Tears filled my eyes. There was no longer smoke. There was no longer rubble. There was no longer the icon of lower Manhattan known as the Twin Towers. I replayed the events of that Tuesday morning so long ago in my mind. Although I had lived and worked in New York for another year and a half before moving back to the Midwest, I can honestly say that I hadn't really gone back to the Trade Center site. In my mind, it should have looked like it always had- gleaming and reaching for the sky.

As we were standing at the firehouse located directly across the street from where the World Trade Center once stood, I tried to compose myself. Construction workers were everywhere. New York was officially rebuilding. I wondered how hard it must be for them to go to work every day where so many innocent Americans lost their lives. I gathered the courage to speak with one of them and even got a picture taken with the “new” World Trade Center construction in the background. I quickly told him my story. As he returned to his duties, all I could say was “Thank you, thank you for rebuilding.” I wiped the tears from my eyes and turned to walk away. Over my shoulder, I heard him say, “You're welcome … and thank you for coming back.”

On and since Sept. 11, 2001, countless American lives have been taken. Whether they gave their lives for our country through the military, tried to help the thousands of workers out of the Twin Towers to safety or were innocent passengers on a plane that Tuesday morning, all of them died as heroes to me.

It is often said that time heals all wounds. Why then, 10 years later, does it seem like yesterday that I stood and watched planes crash into the Twin Towers, setting them ablaze and finally causing them to fall? Why then do I still get panicked every time I hear the roar of a jet engine or see a plane in flight? It is easy to say “forgive and forget.” Why then do both of these actions seem so unrealistic? The lives of so many people were changed on that fateful day. New York may be rebuilding, but believe me, no one is forgetting.

Time passes and life goes on. I will never forget the events of Sept. 11. I relive the events of that day whenever I see a plane in the air, hear a firetruck's siren and when the names of the victims are read each year on the anniversary. But each time, I also grow stronger. Stronger in myself, my beliefs and my country. A headache may have saved my life 10 years ago, but it is the smaller moments everyday that make me proud to be a daughter, a wife, a mother and a friend. No terrorist can take that away.

For all those in this country, this state, this town, we must never forget. Thank you is a word that is often spoken without true emotion. Ten years later, I still cannot say it enough. Thank you to my family. Thank you to my friends. Thank you to all of those that serve our nation. The USA is truly a remarkable country. No matter the challenge that lay before us or the obstacles we must overcome, we stand united. Politics and religion are two things people may never agree upon, but rest assured, when push comes to shove, each will come together and stand united for this country and our great people. We wouldn't have it any other way.