nmah6376.xml

nmah6376.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2003-12-01

I am sure like everyone else in the country that I will never forget the moment I first witnessed the events of Sept. 11.
At that time I was arising every morning early to walk on a treadmill we have in the office in the basement of our home. I had a little TV on and was watching the Today show when suddenly it cut away for a special story. There on the TV screen were the world trade center towers...one of them was on fire. The announcer was saying that apparently a small airplane had accidently flown into it. No one seemed exactly sure what had happened. It looked like helicopters were flying around it to get a better look when suddenly as the announcer continued to wonder what the problem was another craft hit the second building. It was as if the announcer had no idea the second tower was hit. I turned off the treadmill knowing instantly that something was wrong....and thinking in the back of my mind that we were under some sort of attack. I have a brother in law who is a flight attendant and my own husband travels every week. He was out of town in Oregon. I remember saying to myself..."the second tower is hit". Suddenly the announcer realized what had happened. It was clear that even he knew something was terribly wrong.
I ran upstairs to get my family up. My son watched with me on TV for several minutes. I called my husband and said "I think we are under attack" He wasn't so sure but said he would turn on the TV. We hung up. My son and daughter and I sat staring in disbelief as reports came in about the Pentagon. Many minutes later I said to my children..."those towers are not going to stand." They thought I was wrong...I went into the bathroom and my son shouted to me that the first tower was indeed falling. I ran out and stared in disbelief as it fell. Minutes later the second tower came down.
Every day for two weeks I had to watch the news...I don't think I have watched the news as much as I did for many weeks after that. Until the war in Iraq...

For a long time after Sept. 11 I felt completely unsafe. I remember worrying about every noise....every boom in my neighborhood...every airplane that flew a little too close. It was a very eery feeling the first week after when there were only fighters in the skies...no commercial jets. I felt safer then than when the commercial airliners began to fly again.
It wasn't until almost two years later that I was able to be talked into flying again.

I believe that we need to focus on the positive aspect of the American reaction. We took care of each other we bounced back we became more united. I still think we live under the assumption that we are not vulnerable. I wish we would take ourselves a little more seriously and try to live the best we can...love each other the most deeply...help each other the hardest...support one another the best way we know how...and above all...remember God.

I did then and still do today. I feel like the flags in my yard help remind me that there are people in the world who would like to kill me for my love of freedom. However there are those in those same countries who pray for what I have...independence.