story6941.xml

story6941.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

I got to work at 8:55 and the staff was all upset, we ran downstairs to the tv. We called our clients down to watch and everyone was shocked, not saying much. I called my husband and daughter but my son was teaching so I couldn't tell him what happened. Then I had a client that didn't show up, so I sat with some of the staff and just stared at the tv. Then suddenly came the announcement that the plane that hit tower 1 was out of Boston, and it hit me that our friend was in Boston for the weekend visiting her brother-in-law. I jumped to the phone to call her husband to see what time her flight was. I had started working with him and we are long-time friends and they mean a lot to our family. I made small talk and casually asked Matt when Nina was due back, and he said she should be at Logan around that time. My heart sunk, and I asked him if he was watching tv. I choked back tears as he asked me what was going on because I was the 2nd person to call and ask about Nina. I told him about the 2 planes hitting the towers and that they suspected terrorism, and that 1 was confirmed out of Boston. He stammered and said he'd call me back and hung up quickly; my stomach was now in my throat. I looked at more of the staff that had gathered and I told them that Nina might be involved, and that I had to go be with Matt. They lived just down from the salon so I hurried to the house and Matt was on the phone as he answered the door. I told him that I couldn't wait and that I had to know that Nina was ok. He was trying to reach his brother and we went to watch the tv as he was trying all the numbers he had. As we waited, we saw the switch to the Pentagon, we couldn't believe our eyes. Then he reached his brother who had reached his office and discovered that Nina had arrived at Logan about the time of the crashes. Matt and I were so relieved and we started calling her family and his and all the friends that had called, knowing that Nina was at risk. Nina was told to leave the airport because all flights were cancelled, but no one said why. This was around 9:30 and it took until 11 for her to reach a phone to call home. Matt directed her to the bus and explained how to reach his brother's office, not knowing that she still did not know what had occurred. I returned to work but it was very hard to concentrate. People didn't want to leave the salon, they wanted to be around others. Parents were calling schools, I called my granddaughter's school to see what safety measures were being taken. We all struggled to make it through the day, not wanting to believe the horror we had witnessed. It was too awful to be true, it felt like a dream that we wanted to wake up from. It was 5:00 before Nina reached her brother-in-law and found out all that had happened. She said no one was speaking on the bus, it was just an eerie quiet. Cell phones went out when the tower went down, so communication was greatly reduced. It was a time when we were glued to the tv to see what was going on, but also a time when we wanted to shut the tv off so we didn't have to hear any more! Clients and friends were stunned, everyone hearing so many versions and then the news of the Pennsylvania crash added to our fears. No one knew when it would end, we just knew that we neede to be near our families. I missed calling my neice for her birthday that day, but she later told us that it was by far the worst birthday she ever had. She felt awful enough to be glad that no one called to say that she should be happy, she was just so sad for the world! We have all moved on, going through a year of emotion and experiencing fear and uncertainty. Such sorrow for the loss of so many people, talking with friends who lost friends and family. Yet giving in to the hopes and dreams that we all know help to shape our lives. I looked forward to the September 11 anniversary as a time to heal, a time to begin to put things into perspective and try to learn to deal with life's blows. And to try to understand that for everything there is a reason, and that God is there for us if we ask for Him. Through everything that we have endured as a nation, we must know that we will find the truth, we will know why things happened the way they did, and that God is the One to turn to. No matter how awful, there is a purpose that we are all here. So many wonderful things have happened as a result of 9-11, today being able to share my story is one of them. The world has seen us stand together as one nation, under God, indivisible, with justice for all!!!!!!!!!!!