nmah456.xml

nmah456.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-08-27

I was on vacation in Toronto, Canada visiting my then girlfriend (now fiancee). I had just got up and had CNN on TV as I prepared breakfast. The news came through about a plane hitting the WTC and, like millions of others I watched in disbelief for that few minutes when it was thought it was a tragic accident before, live on screen the second plane hit the other tower.

I sat for the next few hours dumbstruck at what I had witnessed unfold right there on the TV screen, and from the window of my apartment hotel took occasional glances at Canada's tallest building, the CN Tower, fearing that something might happen to it as well ........

Yes it has .... Sep 11 was the date my girlfriend and I had chosen for her to meet my mother, who was also vacationing in Canada. We all met later that afternoon in an eerily quiet and empty downtown Toronto, and went for a meal, but no-one was interested in the food, just the TV screens that were divulging more and more information.

Because of the events of that day, I decided to ask my girlfriend to marry me (I didnt ask her on Sep 11th as that would have been too painful a memory in future years, but I made the decision to ask her at a future date on that particular day), as the events proved that life is too short and full of unknowns to not try and make the very best of each and every day. We are to be married in Toronto on June 28th 2003.

There are many things that should be remembered ...

-- The heroism of the emergency services
-- The heroism of the ordinary people on the planes
-- The bravery of those who knew they would perish
-- The bravery of loved ones left behind
-- The evil of Terrorism, and that it makes us stronger when we rebuff it
-- The way NY worked together to rebuild with Giuliani at the helm

No, I did not, as I was on vacation, but I did wear a pin, and also made sure to wear my favourite soccer team shirt for the rest of my holiday (It is Red/White/Blue)