On Sept 10, 2001 my husband and I signed the mortage paperwork for our first home. We were so excited we could barely sleep that night. We were just a month away from the arrival of our second son. We finally, officially had our new house. We'd start moving in the morning.
Instead I got a phone call from my mom that next morning. "Are you up? Have you seen the news?"
There was no joke about still being asleep. The tone was tense. That told me all I needed to know. Sleep was gone for both of us as we raced to the living room.
The first tower had been hit. We flipped to different channels, trying to see if any newscast had any information. Then we saw the second plane. We watched it hit the second tower.
I remember getting annoyed that reporters kept asking where the president was, where the vice president was. I wanted to yell at the tv "We're being attacked, you morons!" Surely I wasn't the only one who'd read enough political fiction and nonfiction to know the job of the secret service was to protect the leaders of our government. Surely I wasn't the only one who'd read Tom Clancy and knew this was an act of war.
I remember thinking "Dear God, help those people!"
I remember being in tears.
I remember the people falling as they chose suicide over burning.
I remember rocking, cradling my stomach as my not yet born son kicked.
I remember the World Trade Center towers falling.
I remember my 19 month old waking. Even he was somber.
I remember the Pentagon. A direct attack on our military leaders to cripple our defense, not just an attack on a base where mostly soldiers would be injured or killed.
I remember the fear of wondering how many more planes had been compromised. How many more targets were in danger?
I remember Flight 93. My first thought was a prayer that it was the passengers that had taken it down. Heroes willing to die to protect others. I was afraid the air force may have had to shoot it down. The guilt a pilot would have felt...I can't imagine.
I remember President Bush promising to find those responsible for the cowardly acts of that morning. I had many disagreements with his policies over his 8 year tenure but that morning he was the leader America needed.
I still pray for the families that had loved ones murdered that morning.
I will never forget that morning.
I remember Sept 11th 2001.
Instead I got a phone call from my mom that next morning. "Are you up? Have you seen the news?"
There was no joke about still being asleep. The tone was tense. That told me all I needed to know. Sleep was gone for both of us as we raced to the living room.
The first tower had been hit. We flipped to different channels, trying to see if any newscast had any information. Then we saw the second plane. We watched it hit the second tower.
I remember getting annoyed that reporters kept asking where the president was, where the vice president was. I wanted to yell at the tv "We're being attacked, you morons!" Surely I wasn't the only one who'd read enough political fiction and nonfiction to know the job of the secret service was to protect the leaders of our government. Surely I wasn't the only one who'd read Tom Clancy and knew this was an act of war.
I remember thinking "Dear God, help those people!"
I remember being in tears.
I remember the people falling as they chose suicide over burning.
I remember rocking, cradling my stomach as my not yet born son kicked.
I remember the World Trade Center towers falling.
I remember my 19 month old waking. Even he was somber.
I remember the Pentagon. A direct attack on our military leaders to cripple our defense, not just an attack on a base where mostly soldiers would be injured or killed.
I remember the fear of wondering how many more planes had been compromised. How many more targets were in danger?
I remember Flight 93. My first thought was a prayer that it was the passengers that had taken it down. Heroes willing to die to protect others. I was afraid the air force may have had to shoot it down. The guilt a pilot would have felt...I can't imagine.
I remember President Bush promising to find those responsible for the cowardly acts of that morning. I had many disagreements with his policies over his 8 year tenure but that morning he was the leader America needed.
I still pray for the families that had loved ones murdered that morning.
I will never forget that morning.
I remember Sept 11th 2001.
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