story5830.xml

story5830.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

Wake up, 7 a.m. ~ this was to be an exciting day for my two step-grandchildren ~ my husband, Dave and I, are the legal guardians of these two little people; our lives are busy, busy....

Kally, our granddaughter, was going to work with Dave for the morning because it was Sean's first morning at Mother Hubbard Nursery School. Both children were quite excited doing their own special "thing" and having the center of attention focused on them.

I remember, very distinctly, thinking how gorgeous the morning was and how very clear the sky was. I was, I believe, as excited as Sean about beginning his new adventure in life and my heart was very full, so happy...

Since this was Sean's first morning in the 3-year nursery school program, he and the other children were introduced to the concept slowly; the children were only to spend an hour at the school for the morning. The first half hour was designated for the parent and children to check out the classroom, do a project, meet the teachers. The second half hour the parents were to go the the library to meet with a member of the school board in order to get all the details about the children's up-coming year.

In the library, as the parents were sitting and discussing different details of the school year, one of the mom's cell phone rang. I heard her say, "What? You're kidding!" The next thing she said, "Oh, no! Oh, no! This is terrible!" Our attention was riveted on this woman, who we later found out, was speaking with her husband. She turned to us and said, "The World Trade Center was hit by a plane!" Her husband was still on the line and, as she was telling him good-bye she said, "Oh, God. What do you mean? Oh, God!" The second plane had hit. I'll never forget ~ Sean's first morning of school, and the world seemed to be ending...

As we left Mother Hubbard, my cell phone rang - it was my husband - the Pentagon had been hit. My heart was in my throat; I felt a roar in my ears ~ my father and two brothers were in NYC ~ they were scheduled to fly home today ~ I didn't know what to think, and I knew there was nothing I could do except pray. My cell phone rang again; it was my oldest daughter, Alix - the first time I heard the word terrorist attack ~ and she was crying, "Mom, Mom! Is their going to be a war? What's happening? I'm so scared, Mom! Do you think this is the end of the world?" All the while I'm thinking about my Dad and my brothers, George and John ~ they went together, the guys, to celebrate my Dad's 87th birthday. Were they okay? What flight were they coming home on?

I was on my way to my husband's office, panicked. When he came out of the building with Kally, he told me that he had just heard that another plane may have crashed. I had never seen him so agitated. I tried calling my sister to ask her if she knew what flight our guys were on, but she was not home. Something told me to try, just in case, calling my Dad at home ~ my God, my God! They had come home on Sunday evening; somehow I had misunderstood my Dad's telling me when he was coming home...my family was safe!

But the rest of the world; all those others. How terrified they must have been! How sad, how sad...