story7323.xml

story7323.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-14

I rarely take the time to watch the news or read the
paper, but I started getting up earlier over the past
weeks and started watching CNN as I got myself, my son
and my finace ready for work and school. I had the
television on and the volume set low, for reasons I
don't remember now, because a phone call from my sister,
who lives in Buffalo, NY set a different tone for the
remainder of the day. She called to ask if I was
watching tv and I told her yes and asked why. She told
me about the first tower attack. I quick turned the
volume up, called my fiance out to the living room and
the two of us stood there, staring at the tv, at 6:00
am Pacific time. We were in time to watch the second
World Trade Tower hit by the plane and stood there
exchanging looks of shock and numbness. That feeling of numbness, the same feeling I get when I hear about a person's death of someone close to me, carried with me all that day. The shock and numbness were soon accompanied by
concnern for our family members in New York State, as both Jeff and I are originally from NY. I didn't want to go to work or let my son go to school, but I pushed myself to belive nothing else would happen, especially to anyone I knew. I was a bit on edge, worried until I came home to see my son home from school, safe and sound. Once I knew all was
good with my loved ones, I turned my thoughts solely to those who were lost in the attacks and their family and friends who were left to feel the loss. I wasn't even born when JFK was shot and killed, so I can't say "I remember where I was when JFK was killed", but I am sorry to say my generation has something worse to say they remember where they were when: The World Tade Towers, the Pentagon and that plane headed for PA was attacked; the day the terorists made the US a very vulnerable country for a very long time.

I think of how my grandfather, who has been dead for ten years, was a man of the Navy and an overall very patriotic person, felt and what he thought as he watched from the Heavens above at the terror that took place that day. If he were alive still today, I would have been moved right back to NY, where he could have all his family close by in the event anything of such magnitude ever happened again. And if he had been alive that day, I know that despite the strong and hateful words he would have spoken in regards to the people that attacked, that in private he would be shedding tears for the love of his country and all those that, like himself in WWII, laid their lives on the line to protect this country.

I heard a man quoted on the radio the other day for saying that Sept. 11th caused many people to reassess their values. I thought about that on and off all day, and I know that live is precious, and it is too short to let the little things get the best of you because there is always something much bigger that may just get the best of you. ANd I try every day now to appreciate my son like I never have before, just in case there isn't a tomorrow.

I will end this by saying that my thoughts and prayers continue to go out to those who were personally affected by the attacks and I give praise to the fine souls that risked their lives in the aftermath. May God bless you all.