I was in bed at 7a when my cell phone rang. I ignored it. No one who knows me would call me that early.

Five minutes later, it rang again. "Uh oh, who died?" I wondered. It was my best friend Lawrence calling. He said, "I know it's early dearie, but you need to wake up and turn on your television. We're under attack."

What a crazy, sad, terrifying day that was. Even though we were thousands of miles from ground zero, it all felt so close and immediate, as indeed it was; I found out later that a pal from high school had died in the second tower attack. The day was tragic yet unifying, and for a brief moment in time, everyone in the country felt a bond of tragic loss, and everyone in the world had our sympathies in their hearts.

Where were you on September 11, 2001?