story5767.xml

story5767.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

We got up early on September 11th. We had our oldest daughter home from Spain for a couple of weeks so we decided to drive from Orlando to Miami and take a week off for a vacation. We got up early to take advantage of the day. We didn't even stop to eat breakfast we went to the drive through at McDonald's and ate on the road. At some point we turned on the radio and began to hear the news that a plane had crashed into the world trade center. Of course it was early on and it was being reported as an accident and not as an attack. About ten minutes into the news report we could hear in the background that there was another plane that had hit the other tower. At this point we knew it was no accident. We didn't know how to react. We were horrified,scared, not knowing what to expect. I remember driving along the road with water on either side of us and feeling that the world was coming to an end. I remember wondering if I would ever see my sister and mother who live in Europe again. I remember feeling completely and totally helpless. I just wanted to go home. The events continued to unfold. The Pentagon was hit and there was still an airplane in the air that by then we knew was probably headed for the White House. The thing I remember perhaps the most about September 11th was how eerie it felt to see the skies empty. Knowing there was no way into or out of the country. It is a feeling I won't soon forget.
I was blessed that the events of September 11th did not take any of the people I loved from me but I think that I speak for many when I say that September 11th took away my sense of security. Something inside us all died on September 11th but out of tragedy hope is born and out of this tragedy a great sense of patriotism and hope for the future was born. I remember going home and hugging my neighbors and talking to them more often. I pray it is not in vain that those more than 3000 people lost their lives, I hope that we continue to feel the bond of humanity long after the first anniversary, long after the 10th anniversary, I hope we never forget.