Ten years, hard to believe. Anyone who is old enough to remember will say they remember it like it was yesterday; time, place, events, circumstances, and emotions indelibly seared into our minds. We are all reliving our stories today. Here's mine.
I was working part-time then at Passavant Hospital. And I wasn't scheduled to work that day, but had to be there that morning for a mandatory inservice. During the meeting, someone came in and interrupted the speaker, whispering something to her. The speaker ended the meeting soon after. I went upstairs to the respiratory care department where I worked. Many people were congregated in our sleep lab, huddled and staring at a TV.
I said, "What's happening?"
"A plane flew into the World Trade Center," said Melissa.
"What?" I peered at the image on the screen. I expected it to be a little two-seater with the tail sticking out of the glass. "Well, where is it?"
"Inside the building."
I tried to fathom exactly what that meant. We all assumed it was an unbelievable tragic accident. But then the second plane sliced through the other tower. And we knew we were under attack.
The rest of the day was surreal. I went home and, like the rest of the country, was glued to the TV. I kept trying to call my mom but the phones were tied up. No one could get through and we didn't yet have computers or cell phones.
Then word of the Pentagon. And then Flight 93. We didn't know what was coming next. I recall the anxiety and uncertainess of it all. I went to see my neighbor and good friend Christine, so I wasn't alone. Many parents went to the school to pick up their kids, but I didn't think it wise. The boys were in first grade. I didn't want them to be worried or scared.
I recall the silence of the sky over the ensuing days. Being so accustomed to planes flying overhead that I didn't even hear them anymore, their absence screamed calamity. Two days later, at my Thursday morning women's bible study at church, we read Romans 12:9-21 through tear-veiled eyes. I encourage you to read it.
Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
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2 comments:
I didn't want to blog about 9/11. Way too depressing. I tried not to watch anything on TV about it. But around 10 pm I found myself reading the names of the victims and shedding a few tears.
Jim was working in Houston. We had an apartment in Baytown--a dark, dreary apartment. I remember sitting on the sofa and watching the news the entire day. I think that was the last time this country was united--in thoughts, feelings and prayers.
I too had that feeling of not wanting to be alone, but at my neighbor's they kept the TV on all the time, and I couldn't stand that either, so I didn't stay at the neighbor's. Before the end of the school day I went and got my two older kids and brought them home. Not because I was afraid for their safety, but because I just wanted us all to be together.
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