story6051.xml

story6051.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

I relive that morning many, many times. I was 11 or 12 weeks pregnant with my first child, at the age of 41, a pregnancy that doctors told me would not happen. Relaxing, watching my usual round of morning talk shows, the news cut to the 1st plane having just hit the North Tower. I turned to my husband and said, "How could the pilot not have seen the World Trade Center?" After the second plane hit, our phone starting ringing, friends who were off-duty flight attendants, family, all in shock. As we live about 12 miles from Manhattan, looking out my kitchen window, we could see the smoke from the Towers. We would see smoke, and smell it, for days to come. As the morning and attacks went on, all we could do was cry. We were bewildered, hurt, scared, helpless.

Some friends & family came over to comfort each other. Being a high risk pregnancy, what energy I had went to protecting our unborn child. I couldn't allow myself to fully experience the horror of the attacks. Only now can I cry; I have nightmares of the people trapped inside, of the people who decided their only escape was to jump.

Our daughter was born in March of 2002, healthy & full term. For this past year, I cringe when an airplane flies too low over us; it is instinctive. When a news story breaks on TV, our first thoughts are "Is this another attack?" For me, the memories and fear are everywhere. A trip to the Empire State Building means passing the Bomb Squad. Going into a municipal building and having my pocketbook thoroughly searched will never seem routine to me.

Although I did not personally lose anyone in the attacks, my heart aches for the families who did. I cry for the victims and their families. Unknowing heroes, may God Bless Them All.