I went back to what I journaled just after 9/11 and want to share just a few of the feelings I had as the tragedy unfolded. Reading it today, those feelings come rushing back, but they are tempered with gratefulness also. Grateful for my country, for my family, and for the sacrifices made daily for both.
"About the time the first tower fell, Tony called from school (he was about 4 weeks into his first semester of law school) and wanted to know details about what was going on that he couldn't get at the school--all he knew was that the towers had been hit and that his first morning class had been cancelled. I tried my best to explain to him that one of the towers had collapsed. He kept trying to say,'Part of it collapsed?' and I kept repeating, 'It is completely gone.' He hung up so he could find a TV with some of his friends. Not long after that, the second tower fell and the damage to the Pentagon was reported. I started to think about our friends and loved ones in the Armed Forces and what this was going to mean for them and the sacrifice that they and their families would be required to make. I was profoundly grateful that my sweet husband was in school and was somewhat protected from any military action. He returned home from school before lunch--we both wanted more than anything to have our family together. When our innocent baby Sam awoke from his nap, I remember whispering in his ear, 'our world has changed forever.'"
Posts
2 comments:
I remember 9/11 like it was yesterday. I had woken up early for school and my usual routine is to turn on the t.v. and eat breakfast while I watch. That morning when I turned on the t.v. I stopped in my tracks in horror as I saw the buildings on fire. I then watched both buildings fall to the ground. I remember holding my hand to my mouth and shaking while they collapsed. It made me sick. I was in shock all day that something like this could actually happen to our country. It was a sad day--one that I hope never happens again. Russ and I walked by the WTC in NYC two months a go and it still has an eerie feel. It definitely still has a reverent feeling around the site.
My brother was living in the D.C. area when it happened. His wife was in the hospital; she had just had a baby two days prior. He called me at 6:30 a.m. & got me out of bed. I thought he was calling that early to tease me, but I quickly discovered otherwise when I heard the fear in his voice. We sat together on the phone, watching it unfold on TV. After living through that and the D.C. sniper, they moved back to the West where they feel more safe.
Post a Comment