September 11, 2001

As usual, I awoke early and turned on the news. Nothing exciting happening so around 6:45 a.m. I turned off the television and began my morning ritual....shower, breakfast, getting ready for work and left the house.  At 8 a.m. I arrived at work. Soon, a fellow worker entered and in a shaky voice said, "Did you see the news?"

"Yes, but nothing of interest." I answered. I realize now that if I had kept my t.v. on for ten more minutes that morning, I would have seen the newscast of the World Trade Center being hit! She shouted, "We have been attacked.  A plane crashed into the Twin Towers in New York."  "What?" I asked.  She responded with, "Turn on the t.v....it's all over the news."

I could not believe the images I was seeing.  A burning building with a gaping hole in its side. Smoke and flames pouring out of the top floors of the sky scraper. An excited voice letting us know that a second plane had hit the second tower.  Lots of smoke.  People running.  Firefighters responding. Lots of white dust swirling.  I began to feel ill. My mind could not grasp what I was seeing or understand what was happening.  It seemed as if I was watching a movie!

That morning, no one else showed up for work.  I got a call and was told to lock up and go home.  The office would not open.  The United States had been attacked. I drove home and began watching the horrendous reports.  The plane hitting the building was shown over and over again. Seeing the other tower come crashing down and hearing the announcer report about how people were trapped seemed so unreal. People were jumping from the tall building.  Reports of many deaths, survivors covered in dust, people running, billows of puffy smoke, firefighters and police searching for bodies or trying to help those that had managed to get out of the buildings, sirens blaring, and loved ones listening to phone calls and hearing husbands, wives, relatives, friends or parents saying goodbye. The lump in my throat seemed to get larger.

Another report about a plane hitting the Pentagon.  And then another flight crashing in a field after brave passengers attacked the terrorists.   "Let's roll," was a phrase related to those who fought the terrorists on that plane! No one survived the plane crashes.

I remembered that a few years before, my brother and I had gone to see the World Trade Center but we could not go in due to some repairs being made.  I had looked up at the two tall buildings and felt like a tiny ant. Who would have known that in a few, short years, they would be gone.

The eleventh anniversary of that frightful day is today.  The buildings being hit by airplanes are images that will last a life time.  Sadness fills me as I look at videos of the horror of that day. I did not know any of the people involved, yet feel as if I knew them all.  I will say a prayer that all who died may rest in peace, those that survived may also have peace in their lives, and peace to all the first responders!

The World Trade Center before 9-11.