Thanks for the encouragement from this morning’s post to choke out my rambling September 11th story guys. As hard as it is to tell, I feel like it’s something I’ll want to look back on – especially when Clara’s older and I’m trying to explain the enormity of that day. It was a terrible day, but such a life-changing one too, and it definitely shaped who I am. And as much as I love having thousands of DIY posts in our archives, sometimes it’s those rare personal posts (like this one or this one or this one) that make me the happiest that I dumped all the jumbled words out of my head and onto the keyboard.
I’ve debated whether or not to write this for six years now, every time this anniversary rolls around. I was a college sophomore living in New York City on September 11th, but the experience of being there and watching everything happen right in front of my eyes is still something I haven’t quite wrapped my head around. So I’ve stayed mum on the topic for all of the years we’ve been blogging. I don’t know what makes this year any different, but I felt like I was ready this time. It’s crazy how something that happened 12 years ago can feel so distant, but when I start talking/typing about it, I remember every sound and smell and sight and it floods back like it was yesterday. Early that morning I had been in Grand Central working on a show house for Country Home magazine (my best friend and I interned there during the morning we didn’t have classes, just lending a hand to unwrap accessories so the rooms could be styled).
I remember hearing from our boss right when we got there that a plane had hit the World Trade Center, but it sounded like it was minor (like some small plane with the wrong coordinates made a mistake). Nothing like “terrorism” or “act of war” was mentioned, so we shrugged and kept unpacking boxes while a few people called relatives who worked in the tower, just to check on them. It sounded like only a few floors were affected, which had us worried for those people but no one was really freaking out. Then a little while later we heard the second tower was hit. The only way I can describe it was immediate panic. Grand Central was evacuated within minutes.
There were guards with guns and people rushing us out and they just sort of explained that this was another “landmark” in NYC, so it wasn’t safe to be here because there were fears that other places in the city were going to be targeted. Thank God my best friend was there with me. I completely panicked and had no idea where to go or what to do. At this point the entire subway system had been shut down (again, because it was a “target” so the city wanted to evacuate any place they thought could be hit next) so we all spilled out into the street in front of Grand Central and my best friend and I just walked towards Penn Station, which is where the train we took to our apartment in Bayside, Queens would be (assuming those were still running).
When we got there we learned it wasn’t. So we just walked around aimlessly and found ourselves sitting on the steps of the New York Public Library. We were terrified that it was another target (should we sit here? should we keep walking around?). I think we were in a state of shock, so we just sat down on the steps anyway. People were rushing by and there were crazy things just laying in the street and on the sidewalk, as if someone abandoned them half-way through running. A man’s shoe. Just one of them. An open briefcase with papers splayed out all around it. Nobody’s cell phones were working, which was especially scary for those trying to reach us (like our parents). I remember saying “we should just conserve our battery and our energy and sit here.” Then people started pointing at the smoldering towers, which we had a clear view of from the library steps (we could see them smoking in the distance since they were such a huge part of the NYC skyline). A large cloud of dust flew up from the first tower and someone shouted “It was hit again!” and someone else said “They’re bombing it!” and the tower fell right in front of us. It just imploded on itself with a giant cloud of dust flying up into the air.
Of course we didn’t know at the time that the heat and damage sustained by the initial impact of the plane had caused the tower to fall, so it felt like a very real possibility that the tower had been hit again, causing it to collapse. I remember someone screaming “we’re at war!” and someone else just closing their eyes and raising their hands and saying the Lord’s prayer over and over again.
At that point we ran. Just sort of scattered like ants and everyone was crying and there was dust billowing up the streets, even though the tower had fallen over three miles away from us. There were police officers and firemen just covered in ash. They were entirely gray with white eyes and white teeth. There were people bleeding who had been close enough to be hurt by debris who were clearly running on foot from downtown since no public transportation was available anymore.
We eventually ended up in the first floor of a hotel in midtown, just hiding in the foyer. There was a TV on with people gathered around and that’s when we saw the second tower fall. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Nobody wanted to talk or move. I think total shock is the perfect description. And fear. We were literally frozen in fear. At some point the hotel offered to let people up into some vacant rooms but we didn’t want to go upstairs even if it was just a level or two up. We had just seen two skyscrapers collapse. Nobody wanted to be anywhere but on the ground floor. So we could run.
Somehow late that night we got back to our apartment in Bayside, Queens. Some of the trains had started running and we got some spotty cell service to reassure family we were okay. We didn’t know what to do with ourselves, and kept finding ourselves drawn to the now completely changed skyline outside, so we went out on the tiny old balcony of our apartment and that’s when the smell hit us. Like something burning, but also rancid. I don’t know if I was stupid or in denial or what, but I asked my best friend “do you think that smell is the burned metal from the building?” and then we looked at each other and realized that the building wasn’t the only thing burning. And we cried.
What haunts me the most were the thousands of missing person posters that were plastered everywhere in the days and weeks afterwards. Fences and scaffolding and subway walls were covered in faces of everyone who was lost – photos of dads smiling with their children. Women hugging their dogs. Christmas cards with the missing person’s face circled with an arrow. It was gut-wrenching. I remember telling my friend Lindsay that I had a dream about a man in a suit and the whole time I was thinking “how do I know him?!” and in the morning I realized he was one of the faces on the fence near my apartment.
A friend of mine’s dad actually got out of the first tower and was safe on the ground when his boss told him they were cleared to go back in for their wallets and belongings, so he went back in and the tower fell, killing him. I just remember crying with her and saying how unfair it was over and over again. It felt even more cruel that he had been outside and then ended up back in there just as it fell. Stories like that seem all too familiar now, especially those of the policemen and fireflighters who ran in just as the towers crumbled. At the time I think we were half devastated and half numb. It felt like too much to process all at one time.
But one amazing thing about being in New York during that time was the love and support. It sounds crazy, but we were all family in that moment of grief. We all wanted everyone to be okay, and we wanted to rebuild and come back stronger. For the weeks following September 11th we’d thank the dusty firemen that we saw on the subway with tears in our eyes and buy drinks for the workers who were downtown digging through the rubble for survivors. It sort of was like a war that we all had lived through together, and we were all on the same side. It was us against the bad guys, and we were stubborn New Yorkers – there’s no way we were going to just lie down and let them win.
My sophomore year of college had only recently started when it happened and classes resumed about a week later, once the subways were up and running again. A lot of my classes were emptier though. That year I’d say about 30% of my friends left the city. September 11th changed everything and some just couldn’t stomach the idea of being there any longer. I completely understood, but nothing in me ever even whispered “leave.” New York City was my home, and I was staying. I think for the people who stayed, it felt like we grew stronger. More bonded. We looked at each other on the subway and on the streets and we all sort of silently encouraged each other. We’d never forget that day, but we weren’t going anywhere.
I lived there for four more years. I finished school. I got a job at an advertising agency right in midtown, less than a block away from Grand Central – the place where my world got turned upside down a few years earlier. It was at that agency that I met John and we started dating. In fact he took this picture of me and my best friend about a month before he and I moved to Virginia to start a life together.
So while I’m a Richmond gal now, I’ll always be a New Yorker at heart. NYC forever, baby.
Ally says
Your story brought tears to my eyes, thank you so much for sharing it. Even though I’m from WV…I think we all felt like New Yorkers that day with the love and support we had for the city and for everyone who lost their lives. Thank you again for being brave and sharing your story.
Ashley says
So tragic, Sherry. Thank you so much for sharing your story….it is a loving way to remember those lost and the family and friends left behind, as well as to honor the strength, courage and unity of NYC. Living on the other side of the country, I will still never forget that day. I can only imagine how it’s shaped you and others who were right in the middle of it. I hope this helps bring you and some others another piece of healing today. Thank you again.
Sara says
Thank you Sherry! You are brave for sharing! May we use this to remind ourselves what really matters! Lots of love.
Amanda L. says
Thank you for taking the time and energy to write out your story. I was in Richmond on 9/11, and I remember almost every minute of the day. It never fails that an account such as yours brings me right back to the fear we had that day, and the days following, as jets flew over our city (there is a treasury building there that they thought could be a target).
Never forget.
Kim says
What a touching and scary story! Thank you for sharing!
Nicole B. says
So sad & scary.
I’m so thankful to be born an American woman. I just don’t think I’d make it living in fear always being concerned with bombings or where women aren’t allowed to do their thing.
christina @ homemade ocean says
I always sort of wondered about this. I had played the timeline out in my head and figured you were probably there but never remembered you talking about it.
Your story is such a gut punch, I can’t even imagine seeing that tragedy unfolding. I’m glad you stayed…and I am really glad you shared your story!
Sydney says
That’s really beautiful Sherry.
Heather says
Thanks for sharing this story, definitely made me cry remembering that scary day. The missing persons flyers really got me, I can imagine they would haunt people’s dream. So sad. I was working in Boston that day and I remember walking to work that morning so happy thinking what a gorgeous fall day it was. Who knew two hours later all of Boston would be evacuated as all tall buildings on the east coast were. There were thousands of people streaming out of downtown Boston on foot and all I remember is the silence. Incredible, scary day.
AlexandraRS says
I was born and raised an hour from Grand Central in Connecticut. I remember being in high school when the towers were hit and how many of our community were commuters into the City and the Towers. The day is a blur as we moved from classroom to classroom, waiting to hear from family & friends. My at-the-time-boyfriend’s dad was a volunteer firefighter who drove to NY to cover the stations that were sending their guys to Ground Zero. You could see the smoke from our town’s waterfront.
We all have our memories of 9/11 but there are those of us who were closer than others. I’m living in California now but on 9/11, I’m a New Englander through and through.
Sally says
I’m feeling different about 9/11 this year too. I saw the story about the 9/11 Museum and Memorial last Sunday. That got me to thinking…I’m working with a group of college students right now and they were in elementary school when this happened. This somehow changed my perspective, but I can’t explain why.
I grew up in the DC burbs and moved back there in Oct 2001. I know people who worked at the Pentagon then and now. I also used to frequently drive through the part of Pennsylvania where Flight 93 crashed.
But I was a thousand miles away on 9/11, so I can’t imagine actually being there. And I can’t imagine the bonds that were formed in sharing that trauma. I appreciate your writing about your experiences. How lucky to have your best friend at your side through the day.
It was an odd pivotal point in my life too. I resigned a job on 9/10, and while I didn’t have a job lined up, I had a place to stay and a plan. I was getting dressed for a career fair when the planes hit the towers. Suddenly, my life was in limbo as companies stopped hiring for a while they tried to figure out what was going to happen. I ended up having to move in with my parents. While these events are uniquely mine, I really think that 9/11 changed the course of my life. I think that if it hadn’t happened, I’d live in a different state, maybe never meet my significant other, and probably have a different career.
Thanks Sherry.
Christie says
I too, will never forget that day. I am on the West Coast and had just gotten out of the shower to get ready for work and heard about the first plane. I too thought it was a small plane until the second one hit. I work at a National Lab where we have to show I.D. to get through the gate. I remember thinking “why aren’t the guards in serious, cautious mood?” I guess they hadn’t heard yet.
I remember doing a search for the world trade center on the internet and getting nothing. Soon after more co-workers were arriving and we all hunkered into the conference room and watched in disbelief on what was unfolding. There were many worried folks because we had heard rumors that a plane was headed toward California. I called my roommate who worked in Security to find out if they were going to announce that we could go home. If we were a target, I wanted to get the heck outta there and go home.
The announcement came around 10:30sih that non-essential employee’s could leave. See Ya!!!
I was glued to the TV once I got home and recorded a lot of news casts those next few days. I could not believe the enormity of all that happened. It was and still is the most devastating thing I have ever seen!
The next day we had to go back to work and it was so weird not to hear planes fly over for several days. Very eery!
I remember one of the local stations playing God Bless America and Lee Greenwoods “Proud to Be an American.” They also played John Wayne’s narration of “America Why I Love Her!”
Thank you for sharing your story!!! America Will Never Forget!
Josephine says
I’m grateful you shared your story, Sherry. Here in Australia, the anniversary went virtually unmentioned, and I have no personal connection to the horrors of that day. Tears came just now. I hope sharing this helps you!
Tara says
I’m reading this from my desk in the MetLife building with tears streaming down my face. I’ve lived in NYC (now Westchester) since July 2001 when I watched the towers fall as a first year law student. Your post is especially timely for me because my husband and I are thinking about moving our family (two small children) away from NY in the upcoming year. I think I am stuggling with the thought of moving, in large part, because after living through 9/11 here together, we are bonded to this crazy city (in spite of it’s crazy rat race) in a way that only other New Yorkers who lived through 9/11 here could understand. Your post captures all of this. Thanks for writing.
PS– I’m part of the “10am club” and ADORE you guys but this is the first time I have ever commented
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Tara. Hugs to you!
xo
s
Val says
I hope this suffering serves as a reminder to people in the U.S. of just how horrible violence at this scale is. The wars the U.S. has launched ever since that day have brought on so much destruction in the Middle East – more than 330,000 people have died as a direct result of violence, and even more indirectly. Not to mention the infrastructural damage in these countries – the schools and hospitals…No violence is excusable, especially when one has bigger weapons and bigger military budgets. It just does not make sense to wage war when one’s aim is peace. I hope people remember the wars that have been waged in the Middle East when they think of the terrors of 9/11. http://costsofwar.org/
Aaroohii says
Rightly said! War always bring recession n destruction. Why r we the people allowing this to go on since 2001?
Melissa says
I was 20 and driving to my first morning class when I heard the news on the radio. Thanks for your honesty and for the beauty of your words.
Tricia says
I’m not a crier, but that made me cry! What a beautiful story. Thanks for sharing.
Crystal says
I think it is so important to share our stories from this day. As a part of never forgetting and honoring the memory of those lost as well as simply preserving that moment of bonding and support that all Americans felt. We weren’t Democrats or Republicans; Majorities or Minorities; or any other thing that we cling to that differentiates us. We were Americans. Simple as that. So thank you so much for sharing your story!
Carrie says
I read your blog daily and have never left a comment. But I needed to today. Thank you for sharing your story of your experience on 9/11. It was really touching.
Candice says
Thank you for sharing. I am sitting her at my desk at work bawling my eyes out.
lesley says
Thanks so much. It’s stories like these that help us all to “Never Forget”!
Terhi says
Thank you so much for sharing, Sherry!
Since I’m European, I don’t personally know anyone who was there when it happened, but since I know a bit about you through your blog, your story made the event feel even more personal. I say “even more” because even though I’m not American, I’ve never even visited, as a human I take that horrible event personally.
I was 15 at the time, and I cried that day when I was watching the news. And I cried while reading this post, both because what happened was so terrible that it made the whole world grief, but also because of the positive and beautiful things you managed to get out of the experience.
My heart goes out to everyone who lost their loved ones or were in other ways influenced by the event.
And again, thank you for sharing.
Elizabeth says
I can really imagine how terrifying it was for you. I was in grad school at University of Michigan at the time, and many undergrads (for whatever reason!) were from NY/NYC… so I know there was a lot of anxiety.
I actually found out because I was meeting with my advisor, and her husband called because his father (or brother? can’t recall) worked in one of the towers. Of course, they couldn’t find him or get in touch with him. Time has faded my memory, so I don’t remember the details, but by some fluke or change in routine, he was OK, he was not at work when the first plane hit, and I think went ahead and headed home.
I just remember how surreal it all was. It was actually my one-month anniversary, so I went from a wonderful happy time to just feeling such great sadness for everyone affected. It was hard to believe that the Twin Towers, which we saw from the airport on our layover coming back from our honeymoon, were just gone. And so many people, and the pentagon damaged too.
My heart goes out to everyone who were personally touched by this! I am proud of the way that our country came together, but it’s still so hard.
Erin says
I don’t often comment here, but I wanted to make sure to thank you for sharing this. It made me really stop and take a moment to think more about how this tragedy affected each individual, rather than just trying to grasp the enormity of it. I’m also so glad you will pass it along to Clara. I’m a high school teacher and it’s crazy for me that my students were between 6 and 2 when it happened and have no idea of its impact. Again, thank you.
Koreena says
Such a powerful story! Brought me to tears. I’m so sorry you experienced first hand the tragedy. I pray for peace over you as I’m sure today is hard for you and your friends. As frightening as it was watching on the other side of a television screen in my friends house there was definitely a level of separation and a feeling of security being where I was at that others, like yourself, were not as fortunate to have and I’m fully aware. I couldn’t imagine being in NY, hearing the sounds and seeing the sites first hand. Thank you for sharing!
Janice says
Like everyone else, I remember that morning so very well. The shock. The horror. I recall being glued to television coverage, and especially the following day, when Christiane Amanpour went to a wall where the missing people posters were. She lost it. I lost it. Seeing all those faces, the hope those families were trying to cling to, the real people – it made it so very present. As a Canadian, it didn’t hit us quite the same as Americans, but we felt so very much with you. Thank you for sharing. Hugs to you.
teresa says
I was also a sophomore in college, in Worcester, MA. The girl in the dorm next door was from NYC, and our whole floor congregated in her room, watching TV and waiting for her to get through the phone lines to reach her parents. Now I live in MD, and it always seems weird to me how the focus here is on the Pentagon, even though it makes sense. I’m glad you were finally able to share this all out. Remembering that day still makes me cry, and I was a lot more removed than you.
Leah says
Thank you for sharing. I was a college freshman on the west coast. I woke up to the radio talking about the first hit. Even then, I knew my world was changed forever. Knowing how affected I feel, I can only imagine how hard this must have been for you. Again, thank you for your words and for sharing your light with the world.
Lindsey F says
Thank you for sharing you story Sharry.
Kelly says
Sherry, thank you. I know exactly what you mean about not having been able to wrap one’s head around this for all these years. I had very similar experiences to yours; I was on the last train let into Penn Station that day, watching the burning and the 2nd plane hit as we headed into the city, then making my way to my office with the burning Towers in sight, the entire city in a daze, the sirens and fighter jets; trying to keep family contact going for those of us in the city that day; getting over to Hoboken with its triage set up yet no one to treat … and of course the days afterward, with the photos you described, on every surface (my office was right by the Armory, where waiting families gathered), the open sobbing on the subway and PATH. I lost friends; I have never seen the footage that the rest of the country saw on TV that day; and I hadn’t really talked about it either until I agreed to share thoughts for the 10th Anniversary with the local paper where I now live. Recalling those memories for that interview (I had to do it on paper, couldn’t handle doing it in person) was raw for me, so I fully appreciate how much it took for you to write this post. Clearly, your post meant a lot to others like me — as you see, it also helped me to try again to jot some of my own memories down in response and appreciation. Again – thank you.
Michelle says
I’m from California but was in college, living 400 miles away from family on 9/11. I had never felt so alone in my life. I became enthralled with watching coverage on the news. So much so that my mom had to tell me over the phone “turn off the tv, Michelle. Turn it off.” I was depressed. My empathy is just too much.
Much like you, I also was profoundly effected by the posters being hung everywhere. I would see people being interviewed holding whatever picture they could of their loved one. It destroyed me. I was 22 and felt very sad for those people. So very sad.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Sherry. I can’t even imagine what it was like to be there, in the throws of it all. Watching the people on tv was enough for me to be sad for weeks and forever changed.
Audra says
Thank you for sharing your story!
Today I got to share a very simplified version of my experience and what happened with my first graders. I was no where near NYC, but sitting with my classmates watching on tv is the single strongest memory I have from that year. I think that talking about it helps us all continue to heal.
Chelsea @ Chelsea Eats Treats says
Thank you so much for sharing, Sherry. This post made me super emotional and sad, but in a good way. In a way that reminds me how important it is to think back about that day and remember those who were lost. My boyfriend’s dad was in the city that day as well and I remember him telling me that he walked home to Flushing, Queens (right by Bayside!) from midtown. I can’t even imagine how long that must have taken, but he said he just had to get home to his kids so he just started walking. The strength of the people on that day continues to blow me away, and I’m so thankful to you for sharing your story with us. God bless America!
Summer says
Thank you for sharing your story with us, Sherry. I know how difficult it is to re-visit the emotions of that day. I was a 22 year old Flight Attendant about to take off in PA that morning. My friends and family were far away. I think I grew up more in that single day than any one day in my life. We will never forget!
DawnSC says
Thanks for sharing, even if it made me cry. I thankfully wasn’t directly affected although, living not that far away in upstate NY, I distinctly remember sitting with many close friends as they frantically tried to get in touch with their families living there. My sweet little son was then born on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. At first I was a little torn about him having such an infamous day as his birthday. But, it gives us a happier memory of the day and something to celebrate. And, as somebody once said to me about his birthday – celebrating life on 9/11 is possibly one of the best ways to remember all of the selfless acts from that day from so many people. So, happy 2nd birthday to my little man, may you never have to experience anything like what so many of us remember from 9/11!
Tracye says
So many of us that were here during 9.11 we carry that with us. It still feels like yesterday. It doesn’t feel like it was 12 years ago. I worked in Rockerfeller Plaza on the 65th floor and our sister restaurant, Windows on the World went down with the towers. Too many innocent souls were gone too soon that day. I lived near Union Square then and I will never forget the people walking in the street, beside the cars in silence. The air heavy with ash and smoke. Union Square with its thousands of lost posters…that was the most unreal thing to see until I saw one of someone that I knew.
I still live here. It took me 4 years to even go see ground zero and I haven’t been back since. The world was forever changed that day.
Sorry for the rambling but your post took me back. Thanks for sharing your story.
Stacey says
I just wanted to thank you for sharing. The coming together afterwards part is something I just needed to hear today. I try to stay detached from these things, the “I was there” stories, because they are so depressing. But hearig them makes you appreciate life so much more. God bless you, your family, and God bless the USA!
Athena says
Thank you for sharing this. It’s always hard to hear someone’s 9/11 story, but it’s good, too. It reminds us that the tragedy affected more than the nearly 3,000 who died.
I remember when I heard what was happening, my mind went to the fact that two years before I had visited NYC with my 7th grade class. We’d gone up into the WTC, along with dozens of others of schools. There was a candy and souvenir shop. It was one of the first things I thought of, and I’ve never been able to forget that thought about if there were children in the tower visiting that morning.
My older sister was in college, and we couldn’t get in contact with her for hours. It was terrifying. She was able to watch the entire collapse from where she was. She’s never been able to talk about that day for very long.
My step-dad was almost on one of the planes. Two days before, he’d changed his mind about coming back to CA via NYC, and instead decided to see some clients in GA while he was already on the East Coast. When he landed, the towers had fallen and every plane was grounded, and every rental car was gone. He actually went and bought a car (he’s in the car business), and drove home. I inherited the car when I went to college. I always thought of it as my “9/11 car.”
Kirsten Oliphant says
Thanks so much for sharing. It made me teary just reading about it. I had a few friends that lived there and had similar experiences, and I lost a childhood friend that day. I feel like it’s so hard, this day. I wrote today about how it all feels wrong. I hate that the day just goes on, and yet I love that we can build and grow and move forward, now with our stories. I get mad and weepy and irritable and I don’t know what I want anyone to do or say. And yet I act totally normal no one would know how much is going through my head. So I’m remembering to be gracious to those around me, who also have stories and may be internalizing. Thanks again for sharing. I think stories are so important to us all as we move forward, always remembering.
Nikki says
Thank you for sharing. I think its so important we all share where we were that day. It’s part of remembering and honoring everyone who lost their lives that day. Love you guys!!!! xxxooo
Heidi says
My husband, of two days, heard from his best friend the day after 9/11.
His best friend had just been at our wedding on the west coast. He returned to his work as a nuclear power plant inspector on the Hudson River. He shared with my husband how he and all his fellow co-workers were sitting around a television in the break room thinking they would be hit next. The plant they worked at provided the power to NYC. So he decides to call up his lady friend who lived in Florida to ask her to move to New York and move in with him. She said, “Sure if you marry me!”. He blamed my husband for getting married to me. But they were soon married.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s such a sweet story!
xo
s
Holly says
Thank you.
Lindsay says
Sherry, thank you for sharing your story. It was beautifully written and has touched so many of your readers. I was a senior in high school and I still remember it like it was yesterday. Someone came into my anatomy class and told my teacher to turn on the TV. We watched as the second plane flew into the tower and then as each one fell. My mom’s cousin worked in the section of the pentagon that was hit, but fortunately he was across town for a meeting that morning! I can’t imagine living in NYC at the time. Sending you love & hugs today!
Erica says
Your post has reminded me to never forget. Thank you for sharing.
Erin says
Gosh girl. That post pulled at my heart and brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for sharing. Feels good to get it out, huh?
http://erinstaussdesign.co/blog/2013/09/remember
KiTX says
Thank you for writing this and sharing it- it really is the stories of 9/11 that keep it in our memory and keep those who died in our thoughts and hearts. Harrowing day, and so hard to think about, but so important that we never forget. Beautiful post.
Susan in Canada says
Thank you Sherry. Moving to read, an appropriate tribute and beautifully written.
Meredith says
Such a haunting day. It is always great to read stories like this, even though they may induce moments of panic, stress and worry. Its a necessity we share just how soft and pure humanity is. Even in such harsh and frightening times.
Thank you for sharing.
Kaci says
I feel like a kid saying this, but I was in 6th grade that day. We were taking our standardized tests that Indiana demands and truly feeling sorry for ourselves. Our teacher got a call from the main office telling her to turn on the TV. In retrospect, this probably wasn’t the best idea to show a bunch of 12 year-olds. We tuned in just as the second tower was hit. We all collectively stopped breathing. The girl sitting next to me whispered to me “could it have been an accident?” and I just remember shaking my head in shock. I think I can speak for my entire class when I say we had never seen such blatant violence. We were all stunned. No one wanted to talk – it was like the ‘moment of silence’ we did so often in the days following and at every anniversary had started that moment. We were no longer feeling sorry for ourselves. We just wanted to breathe again.
The tests were cancelled and we were sent home. Our town was no where near at risk but everything seemed to be frozen. It felt like we were all walking through fog and had no idea why. I remember for the next few weeks walking into the living room where my parents were watching the news coverage and begging them to turn it off. Twice I actually got sick watching the footage. Finally, I just couldn’t see anymore – how is a 12 year old supposed to process this? I know I have no comparison to those who were there or who knew people on the planes or in the towers, but it was still very real to those of us on the ‘outside’.
Thank you for sharing this story. It was shocking to me how many details I remembered from that day. I even remember what I was wearing because I used the corner of my sleeve to wipe up a tear that had fallen onto my desk. It is extremely cathartic to think back on that day and remember how much life was put into perspective in one moment. Even at 12 years old.
Helen says
This is one of the best things you’ve written.