story5275.xml

story5275.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

My husband, 18 month old daughter, niece and I were visiting San Francisco from Washington, DC to attend a wedding. We had arrived in San Francisco several days prior to the wedding to explore Napa and Sonoma. We had plans to visit a winery that Tuesday. My husband awoke first and I came out of ouroom to find him kneeling in front of the TV shaking his head. I asked him what was wrong and all he could say was that "they bombed the World Trade Center and the Pentagon". I sat and watched the television in disbelief. A sick feeling came over me and I needed to hold my daughter. I went into our room, picked her up and kissed her sweet cheeks. After laying her down I remember breaking down and crying. I could't stop the tears. I opened up my Bible and prayed. I knew that families were grieving deeply all over the country. I asked God to comfort them and to bring me peace. I felt overwhelmed with fear. Fear for that day, fear for my country, fear for friends and family, but most of all, fear for my daughter. What would her future look like. I continued to pray and then made calls back East to find out if our friends and family were all safe. I then began to see how very blessed we are and to thank God that he kept so many safe that day. I can only imagine the grief of those who lost loved ones. My prayers continue for them and I vow to never forget the sacrifices made for me, my family and especially our future. The wedding went on and our friends are happily married in spite of the terrorist. They may have hit us hard, but they can never take away our freedom, dignity, and most of all our ability to love deeply. God Bless America! We are survivors.