story8031.xml

story8031.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-20

I had just gotten to my office located in the top of the tallest building in Nashville, the BellSouth tower. I had gotten a cup of coffee and started back to my office. I work with a large group of marketing executives who are in the 22-35 year old range. I am their parents age. I heard someone yell out--"you are not going to believe what has happened, some idiot has flown into a building in New York". Like so many peope, we felt that it was a small plane, either someone lost or taking their own life. Our monitors usually are on an intercompany feed, but can be switched to live broadcasts. We stood there, together, not speaking but holding on to each other. We didn't know what to do--pray, cry, fall to our knees--we just stood and watched.

After the second plane hit--my thoughts were where are they going to hit next. I immediately thought of my daughter and her family in the surburbs outside DC. I just knew that was going to be the next target. My son in law works between the Pentagon and Dulles Airport. My daughter was at work near the airfield in Mannassas Virginia. My heart stopped with the news of the Pentagon. My daughter was on her cell phone crying asking me what to do. I had no answers--she said she was going to pick up my grandaughter and go home to wait for my grandson to come home from school. Much later in the day, we found out my son in law was safe, he wasn't at the Pentagon. But, my daughter told me--there is another plane and fighter jets were chasing it.

My youngest daughter possibly had the hardest job. She is a pre-school through K inclusion co-ordinator in special education. She was with a class of pre-schoolers. They were kept at the school here in Nashville until they could get them all home.

My husband is in the military and I knew not to call him, because our lives had changed in the few minutes those planes were flying toward their targets. I went back to my desk and prayed for my family, the families of those on board the planes and the people in the buildings. Then came the news of the crash in Pennsylvania. We were told the targets seem to be tall buildings in major cities. Our building is in the center of the city, across the river from an NFL football field and within a few minutes of the airport.

We were told to begin to evacuate our building--emergency personnel were everywhere, but no one really knew what they wanted to do. I was blessed that day, we were safe, our friends and families were safe--everyone made it home that day. Of course, my husband has been on alert since then and will probably remain that way the rest of his life.

Since that day we have re-evaulated our lives--what is important and what doesn't matter. I love my country and even though I feel such pride when I see our flag, it is no more pride than I felt when I would see it fly over the JUSMAG compound in Bangkok Thailand many years ago.

My family (including my 83 year old mother) has flown across this glorious nation, two children have flown to Europe and we have gone on a cruise. One that we had posponed--but not ever again.

Our lives changed that day. My faith has grown stronger, family ties have tightened, I appreciate my friends even more. I am still very angry and haven't reached the point of asking God to forgive them. I have wished warts on the nose of the woman that they kept showing on the news making the babbling sound--celebrating the death of so many people. I didn't wish her dead--just to be ugly and miserable. I do hope God grants me that wish. I pray also that God will bring peace to all of those who have suffered so much--and thanks that there are men and women who care enough to rise up and join in helping all of their brothers and sisters in our country.