story11735.xml

story11735.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2005-08-17

My husband ,Chris, two of our friends ,Wes & Christy, & I were taking a much needed getaway to relax in the North Georgia mountains. We needed the fresh air, as well as the peace & quiet. We shopped around in Helen, relaxed in the spa, rode horses, all of the things we enjoyed doing in order to unwind from our hectic lives. The plan was to wake early on Tuesday morning, September 11th, to repack our things & drive back to Atlanta. We were out of bed and rushing around in order to get on the road early enough to miss some of the traffic. After showering, I dressed & walked through the bedroom of the condo & glanced at the television. I saw one of the towers burning. I asked my husband what was going on, & he told me a plane had crashed into the building. As we were gazing in horror into the screen we saw another plane crash into the second tower, right before our eyes. My heart sank as I realized this was real & not some terrible dream I was hoping to wake up from. I ran down the stairs & yelled to the others to turn on the television. Christy immediately reached for her cell phone to call her parents to ask about her aunt & uncle who live in Manhattan & fortunately were unharmed we later found out. For more than an hour, we tried to reach our families to ask about friends & loved ones in New York, but the lines were mostly busy. We were able to reach someone finally, but there was no information to answer any of our questions. We didn't leave for home that day as we had planned. Instead, we stayed where we were in the event Atlanta was a target as well. The entire day, we sat in front of the television watching as the horrible events of that fateful day unfolded. Two days later, I learned that a friend from college, who had moved to New York & worked in the North Tower, was still missing. To this day, Adam's body has not been identified.
I will never forget the fear, anger, shock & heart ache I felt on that day, watching as thousands of people, including my friend, die in such a violent way. The attacks were fueled by hatered & can never be removed from our hearts or memories. Our only source of comfort is the hope that one day the deaths of all the innocent & the heroic, will not have been in vain. May we forever remember those who were lost, & may we always be reminded of the image of the fire fighters hoisting the American flag above the carnage & wreckage, that proud moment when our flag rose into the sky as a symbol of patriotism, honor, respect & bravery. God bless all of those who lost loved ones on that tragic day, & may you find the peace to help you through every passing moment.
Adam, you will never be forgotten. You will live on in hearts forever.