nmah3980.xml

nmah3980.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I was sound asleep when the first plane hit the tower. A friend from Canada, Kelley, called and was telling me to turn on my TV that something bad had happened. I turned the TV on and was shocked at what I saw. And then I was horrified to see the second plane hit the other tower.
My friend and I were both in shock and started to panic because another friend of ours, Parry, was working in NYC and we did not know where she was. So we both hung up and started calling people, searching for her.
We found her and she was safe and so was her family. Then all I could do was sit and watch the TV. I could not pull myself away from the place where I sat in awe of everything going on. My heart and mind were reaching out to everyone in New York, Virginia and at the Pentagon. I wanted to help them all. That is the most awful feeling I have ever had, not being able to help people.
I was able to help a few families, of the missing, get their loved ones pictures, name and who to contact if anyone knew of them on to a site on the Internet and I helped search through the names from different sites helping look for their loved one. It wasn't much but I do feel it meant a lot to the families.

My life has changed just like so many others. We can not take that day back and redo it. No matter how many times we rerun the images in our minds. I look at people with the same respect and trust as I always have, but I just make sure of who I am looking at now.
I've always been a God fearing Christian. I am now more aware of His powers. I explained to the children I teach that it took God a lot of planning to get all those special people He wanted with him, in heaven, in those buildings at the same time. He does not take anyone before their time.
I do feel that the commercialism of the event was not right. I did not buy anything just because someone was going to donate part of the sales to a 9-11 fund. I gave my money, time and blood freely not wanting anything in return.

My daughter's birthday is September 11th. To her it will always be a sad day. But there is much more than the sadness to be remembered about that day.
There was also a rebirth. America was reborn and actually had it's entire body restrenghtened and stood taller than ever. And the brothers and sisters of America joined us and we became one strong family. One that protects it's own and the others that help keep us strong.
Remember the loved ones lost and also the ones that remain here to carry on until we are called to be with them once again. Most of the real heroes of that day were not celebrities and this also must be remembered. They were real people of different ages, sex, color, religion, nationality, etc. Remember the celebrities too. Like President Bush, Mayor Giuliani, etc.

I have always flown an American flag and will always fly one. It was very good to see so many others around the states flying them also.
But as the time since 9-11-01 has grown, I see less and less flags flying. I don't think it is that we have forgotten what happened that day, I think it is that America can not be shaken by anything or anyone. We are still here to support our country and stand strong together. Not flying a flag doesn't make people uncaring, it just shows we are comfortable with how we stand. We show it in other ways, like joining together in church, buying American products, voting, etc.