story3797.xml
Title
story3797.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-11
911DA Story: Story
Walking into the office of a customer, I heard the receptionist say, "A plane just hit the World Trade Center!" As a group of us watched in the crowded conference room, we saw the second plane hit. At that point,I tried to comfort those in the room saying it had to be a terrible accident. Then I continued with my delivery of the work my small company had completed.
As I went home to Hebron, Connecticut, a small town outside of Hartford, the drama was unfolding on the radio. Traffic was slow and cautious as we all tried to listen and drive, not knowing what would happen next.
My job (as a 56-year-old grandmother) was to try and keep everyone I saw (and felt responsible for) as calm as possible. We did close the office and all went home to watch and wait. Then our oldest daughter called. She was pregnant with her first son and had been sent home from her job as Program Director for the Alzheimer's Association. She was crying and asked me, "What kind of a world are we bringing a child into? It's wrong to have children right now." That made me so sad. It's our responsibility to provide a world of love and support for our children. I went to her home immediately to comfort her.
The rest of my story is like millions of other Americans. We watched CNN, we prayed, we cried (a lot)we gave blood, we gave money, we gave food and dog food for the rescue efforts -- and we tried so hard to understand why someone would hate us so much.
My impressions of the country are that we have grown. We have more compassion. We try harder. We are defiant and scared at the same time. But most of all -- we are intent on building a better world for all the children -- not just my grandchildren, but the children of the world!
As I went home to Hebron, Connecticut, a small town outside of Hartford, the drama was unfolding on the radio. Traffic was slow and cautious as we all tried to listen and drive, not knowing what would happen next.
My job (as a 56-year-old grandmother) was to try and keep everyone I saw (and felt responsible for) as calm as possible. We did close the office and all went home to watch and wait. Then our oldest daughter called. She was pregnant with her first son and had been sent home from her job as Program Director for the Alzheimer's Association. She was crying and asked me, "What kind of a world are we bringing a child into? It's wrong to have children right now." That made me so sad. It's our responsibility to provide a world of love and support for our children. I went to her home immediately to comfort her.
The rest of my story is like millions of other Americans. We watched CNN, we prayed, we cried (a lot)we gave blood, we gave money, we gave food and dog food for the rescue efforts -- and we tried so hard to understand why someone would hate us so much.
My impressions of the country are that we have grown. We have more compassion. We try harder. We are defiant and scared at the same time. But most of all -- we are intent on building a better world for all the children -- not just my grandchildren, but the children of the world!
Collection
Citation
“story3797.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 10, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/6217.