remembering 9/11

by teejay 14 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  BeautifulGarbage

  Living on the west coast, both towers had already fallin by the time I heard what happened.

  Just a regular day. Getting up, making coffee, reading the newpaper, waking the kids to get them ready for school. Rarely do I turn on the news in the morning. I prefer the newpapers. Rushing around.."sit down and eat"! "Mom, I can't find my shoes"! etc.

  The phone rings. My husband, who was out of town, calling.

  Exchange hellos.

  Then...Husband says to me in a monotone voice "The World Trade Center is gone"

  Me: "Whaaa?"

  Husband: "The buildings, they're gone"

  Me: "No way"

  Husband: "Yes, they fell"

  Me: Getting annoyed "Knock it off! This isn't funny! You are always overstating, WHAT really happened"?

  Husband: " Just turn on the TV"

  I turn on the TV just as they are showing footage of the south tower being hit. Then showing the Pentagon on fire.

  I don't even remember saying Good bye to my spouse. Like everyone else, I went numb. My mind just couldn't process the message my eyes were sending it. After taking my kids to school, I came home, sat on the floor in front of the TV and couldn't stop watching. I was in a trance for most of the day. Only being broken when the news began to show desperate children looking for parents. Then, I cried. I still do when I think about those kids.

  Andee
• 

  Mimilly

  I had gotten out of bed, came downstairs to find my daughters watching the tv. At first I thought it was a movie. Then they told me it was the news, and to watch. The first tower had already been hit. I saw the second tower hit, then news of the Pentagon and then flight 93.

  I was numb and like a deer caught in the headlights. (to use other poster's apt descriptions) Shock, anger, numbness. The three of us sat together on the couch, silent, and glued to the tv.

  Then news of the flights being diverted here came. Requests for homes, blood. We called and put our home on the list and made appointments to donate blood.

  Then the hope for survivors. Eventually I broke down, curled up and sobbed for hours.

  I still shake my head. My heart still aches. And I'll never forget. It's too much to absorb. I'll be lighting candles tomorrow/today as well.

  Mim
• 

  Dawn

  I live on the westcoast also - but was up early as I was to leave for a business trip that day. My husband was in the mountains hunting.

  My friend from work called me and told me to turn on the TV. I watched as the second tower collapsed and sobbed for all the lives lost.....and the fear of what would come.

  I live next to a nuclear plant and the next thing was a pre-warning that evacuations may occur for our city. Sending my son to school later that day was the hardest thing I ever did - but I thought that it was best for him to be with his friends and to believe that life would go on and everything would be ok. I gave him instructions on where to meet me if an evacuation occurred (his school is only 2 blocks away - he was 15 years old) I cancelled my flight and sat by the TV for the rest of the day waiting for more news - waiting for my husband to call - waiting for an evacuation notice - but mostly just waiting......and praying that they would find survivors. I prayed for 3 more weeks hoping to find more survivors.
• 

  jelly

  I woke up to go to school and saw the saw the news footage of the towers collapsing my initial reaction was shock (as with most people I am sure). As I was driving to school (about and hour and a half drive) I kept just listening to the news coverage hoping to glean any more info. I remember I wanted to know how bad it was and I remember some of the early estimates numbering around 10,000 dead and some local news reports mentioned that 12 planes were still unaccounted for. About half-way to school the radio said that csus was cancelled for the day so I turned around to go home. As the day wore my emotions would volley back and forth between angry and fear. I am no longer scared but I am still pissed.

  Terry

  Terry

  Edited by - jelly on 11 September 2002 2:38:32

  Edited by - jelly on 11 September 2002 2:41:12
• 

  crownboy

  Being in NYC, it was especially poignant for me. I was at work when I heard about the first tower being hit. Unlike most, I immediately connected the first hit to terrorist, and I said to myself "Osama bin Laden is behind this", since I knew he was the number one terrorist on the FBI list, and he had attacked the USS Cole. I thought they had come to finish off what they started in 1993. When the 2nd plain hit, everyone else around me began to concur, and the Pentagon getting hit initially scared me (like a lot of people have been, I was just numb most of the day). We got sent home early (I'm happy I didn't work in Manhattan). What was usually a half hour commute was closer to two hours. I remember I was sleepy as hell going to work that morning, but I stayed up past 3 in the morning watching the coverage that night (no work the next day, thankfully ). I still remember it vividly, and can't believe a year has passed so quickly. We had a couple of minutes of silence at work for the 9/11 victims this morning. I didn't think about how decadent the world is, or how I want God's kingdom to come and destroy everyone. I thought about the victims families, what they've gone through, and how everyone affected (including me) has healed and continues to heal from this great tragedy.
  Hopefully this anniversary will remind us about just how alike we all are, no matter what religion, race, etc. we are. We all come together and try to heal when tragedy strikes (I wonder if the family of JW victims were at ground zero today?).