Forever Remembered
We were house shopping that year. That morning, I drove down what is now our street, past what is now our home. It was a pretty fall day, and I was dreaming and hoping, making silent wishful plans for the future. Why I was out that early, that day, I don't remember.
When we got home, I flipped on the TV - Arthur, I think - and went about cleaning up the kitchen. The kids were chattering about on the floor in front of the TV. All was right with the world, with my world.
Then the phone rang.
"Hi honey." I answered, after glancing at the caller ID.
Are you watching TV?
"The kids are. Why?"
You need to turn on the news.
I flipped the channel, and quickly shushed Oldest Child as he started to object.
"Oh my God. What happened?"
My husband filled me in as I watched. He had to go, so we ended the call, but I couldn't make myself change the channel. I saw the second tower fall right in front of my eyes, as the reporter ran for cover.
The phone rang again.
I'm not sure what all is going on, but I just heard over our secure channel about something at the Cleveland airport. I don't know if it's a bomb or another crash or what, but something's happening there. I'm going to see what I can find out, and I'll call you back.
Our family owns farm land south of us here in northeast Ohio, and it's not only a refuge for us to come together as a family and relax and enjoy eachother, but also a refuge if "anything" were to ever happen. While I watched the horror unfold in front of us on TV, it had never crossed my mind that something could happen more close to home until that second phone call.
If something is actually going on there, I'll let you know and I want you to take the kids and go, ok? I'll meet you there.
I turned back to the TV and sat transfixed, tears pouring down my face. Oldest Child snuggled himself into my lap from time to time, and it was all I could do to let him go whenever he squirmed away to go play. I should have been preparing, just in case, or doing ... something. But I couldn't make myself move.
Rrrrrr! Pppkkkkboom!
The sounds of Oldest Child playing behind me on the floor woke my awestruck gaze away from the TV. My stomach turned over when I saw him taking his matchbox cars and slamming them into a tower of legos.
We did not lose anyone personally on September 11th, 2001. And I can't imagine the pain inflicted on those who did. Please know that our hearts and prayers will forever be with you, your families, and your loved ones who were lost that day.
Where were you when the world stopped turning, that September day?
Other September 11th memorial posts at these fine blogs:
13 COMMENTS:
it was such a crazy, sad day. thanks for sharing your story.
I live on the west coast. I saw the first plane hit and thought that I was dreaming. I woke up my husband, and we saw the second plane and knew it was a real nightmare for America. What a horrific day. It still shakes me to my core all these years later. We can never forget.
I was at work and ended up havng to watch 6 non stop hours of coverage due to TV placement. I still can't watch that footage today. This is my post about it
http://www.havocandmayhem.com/2008/09/no-towers-knocked-down-today.html
Thank you for sharing your story and including mine. I can't imagine how I would have felt had I been a mother then. As it stands I cannot watch your video the thoughts of the children that lost parents that day are too overwhelming.
God Bless.
Here's mine: http://stshores24.com/2008/09/11/where-were-you-seven-years-ago/ (I linked to your post in return.)
I was at a computer conference downtown. I can still hardly believe it.
Thank you for sharing your story. It is a day that we will never forget.
http://stevenbrycesmom.blogspot.com/2008/09/7-years.html
I heard it on the radio first thing in the morning. Sat and waited all day to make sure those who I loved were okay.
Here's my post: http://issascrazyworld.blogspot.com/2008/09/2996-project-thomas-j-kennedy.html
Thanks for doing this.
I walked into my office, to discover a co-worker sitting in my chair, listening to my radio. Things got much worse after that.
http://michaelmontgomery.net/article/september-11-2008
I was holding my unborn baby in my belly wishing I could put the rest of my family in there with her...
http://livingintheory.blogspot.com/2008/09/seven.html
Here's mine. I originally wrote it exactly six months after 9/11. Couldn't find the words till then.
http://missbanshee.typepad.com/missbanshee/2008/09/because-its-bec.html
Just trying to get home http://autumndahlia.blogspot.com/2008/09/seven-years-ago.html
I was on travel, working a DOD health care HR application project in Herndon, VA, when someone in the office said two planes had just hit the World Trade Center towers in NY. I turned on the radio and listed to a Washington, D.C. news station and they were saying a hijacked plane was heading toward Washington. We were ordered out of the Oracle buildings into the largest traffic jam ever.
I returned to my nearby apartment and switched on the Foxnews channel to follow the coverage.
I went out on the balcony and it was eerily quiet. The weather was perfect, 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.
Many consultants drove their rental cars home that weekend. For months after, the Hertz cars had a multitude of out-of-state license plates
I took my scheduled flight home to St. Louis on the following Friday. It was the first day that TWA returned to flying. Sen. Kit Bond was on the flight and we spoke with him in the Aviators lounge before the flight. He said airport security had taken a nail clipper from someone in his party. We wondered how that made us safer.
After boarding the flight, the seated passengers eyed each person with suspicion as they came down the aisle. It was that way for weeks after 9-11. We struck up conversations with the "regulars" that we recognized from earlier flights and quickly sized up who we could count on if things went bad.
I was sitting in a class at college: http://nikkilina.blogspot.com/2008/09/moment-frozen-in-time.html
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