Do you remember where you were, what you were doing the moment you heard of the terrorist attack on the United States? I'm certain I will never forget.
I was in the process of loading 100 fifth graders on a school bus for a field trip, when one of my co-workers pulled me aside. In a whisper, she said, "Ami, the twin towers have been hit." The news didn't calculate in my brain, and I asked her to repeat.
I imagine it didn't calculate with any of us that day, nor am I certain that I can fully grasp it today, six years later.
Our field trip was cancelled, and the entire school district was put on lock-down for the day. I decided not to tell my students exactly what was happening, feeling that it was a discussion better suited for families. But they sensed the urgency in the adults' faces.
I wanted nothing more than to rush home and be with my husband. I called him, my mom, and my brother within minutes of learning of the disaster in NYC. I just needed to know that my loved ones were safe. Thank God they were.
I spent the rest of the day keeping my students busy with what was completely unimportant in light of what was happening in our country. I was numb and simply went through the motions of the day.
As soon as the school bell dismissed my students, I rushed home to turn on the television. I thought for certain that if I could see it with my own eyes, then surely it was a big misunderstanding. But it wasn't. It happened.
Over 2900 innocent lives were lost. Too many. And countless loved ones left behind to grapple with the grief.
We live in the land of the free, the home of the brave. We have had to fight harder to keep our freedom and our bravery for the past six years. But I thank God for my freedom, and I thank the men who protect my country today.
What 9/11 memories do you have?
9/11
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I had just gotten to work after dropping little dude off at daycare. Someone said "they" were watching the TV in the workout room - we saw the whole thing happening. Chills - total chills. I got a gazillion e-mails and phone calls about Dan - where is he - what is his plan - was he flying - is he in New York? Thankfully my hubby, who was supposed to fly home that day, was in Seattle - all the way across the country from the catastrophe. I decided to get my little dude who had just turned 1 and hang out with him at home while Dan and I talked on the phone constantly about what was happening and the fact that he would not be coming home any time soon - all airlines were grounded. He called a pilot friend of his who lives in Denver to see where he was - turns out he TOO was in Seattle - at the same hotel! They ended up finding a rental car (amazing!) and drove home 3 days later.
We know so many pilots, and given our ages at the time, many of them were new to the airlines and low on the seniority lists and lost their jobs due to the resulting decline in airline traffic. Just the past year some of them have been called back to work.
A scary, scary day indeed.
Every story just gives me chills. I posted about it, too. I can remember every detail of that day. I can't imagine what it must have been like to be w/all the kids and have them feel that fear!
I remember getting to work and two co-workers were watching a small TV in one of the offices. I arrived between the two plane crashes, so at first we all thought it was a horrible accident. After the 2nd plane hit we knew it couldn't have been accidental.
Numb was the feeling. I didn't know what to feel. My little world was so small. I didn't know anyone in NY. I didn't know any pilots. I didn't know anyone flying. It was very surreal for a while. I do remember thinking it seemed incredibly weird to continue working for the day. I was surprised that the owners really expected us to go on with the day as if it were any other day. Weird.
Post a Comment