story5292.xml

story5292.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I had dropped off my son, Matthew, at middle school and was heading to work @ 8:30 AM. Because we had been talking, I had turned off the car radio.

I work in a garden center, and we were in the process of opening the store at 8:50 AM, when the manager came in to the store and said he had heard on the radio that a plane had hit the WTC in New York. We turned on the TV in the store (usually used for showing demo videos to customers) and were watching NBC's coverage of the "accident", when we saw the second plane hit the second tower. At that time I think we all began to believe that these were deliberate acts of violence.

The employees took turns watching the TV coverage, alternating between shock and grief. How could this be happening in our country?

Then we heard about the third plane hitting the Pentagon.
One of my sisters works in Alexandria, VA, and I knew her husband worked for the Justice Dept., but I didn't know where his office was located.

I called my husband, who was in a meeting and had not heard about the attacks. I could barely talk through my fear and my tears. I had a huge knot in my stomach and swallowing was difficult. After hanging up the phone, I immediately tried to call my sister at home, but I couldn't get through.
I called my mother in Stephens City, VA, to see if she had heard from my sister, but she hadn't. She promised to call me as soon as she did hear anything.

We continued to watch the news coverage, and soon heard the report of a plane crashing in PA. Initial reports were confusing, with some stations claiming the plane had been shot down to prevent it from reaching Washington, DC.

At this point I looked for a quiet place to be alone and I began to pray. I prayed for the safety of my sister and her husband, for the people in the buildings hit, and the people on the planes. I prayed for the families across this country who were waiting, like me, to hear from family members or friends.

The rest of the day was one of shock as the estimated death toll increased, as the images were replayed, and as I tried to hide my worries about my sister. I couldn't tear myself away from the TV or radio coverage.

My sister and her husband were safe, although they had a difficult time getting home to their children. The friends I knew who had relatives in NY or DC also reported good news. But I will never forget the hours of not knowing, nor the fear I felt for days afterwards. The sound of a low-flying plane still makes my heart stop as I search the sky. And my heart continues to ache for the families and friends of the thousands who died that day. I pray that their pain is eased by the knowledge that so many people continue to pray for them.