Sep
11
It was about 10 minutes before 8 central time & I had just run to the cleaners to drop something off. On the way home I heard on the radio that a plane had struck the World Trade Center. I was shocked and ran into the house calling for Don to turn the tv on. By then the networks were live with shots of the first tower in smoke & we were transfixed by what was being shown. We watched live, as it happened, the second plane hit……Don saw it on the screen and said “that plane is going to hit the tower also”. I remember telling him that wouldn’t happen again, and then that plane crashed into the building. He knew immediately that we were under attack; it took me a while to really grasp that. I was glued to the coverage most of the day, horrified at what was happening and at what it might mean. I had an overwhelming need to find all our children and have them come home to be with us but….
that wasn’t possible. The youngest had just gone to school & the girls were in Clinton, one a freshman and the other just starting a new job…our oldest was in Texas getting ready for his wedding in a few days! I wanted to protect them and be in control and I felt helpless. It’s something I’m continually learning, that I’m not in control but God is. I need to turn to Him for help…….“I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.â€?- Psalm 121:1-2. That was the verse for the day today at Biblegateway!
I heard this morning that 1 out of every 5 people in this country either knew or were related to someone in the World Trade Center on 9/11. We did; I learned later that morning that one of our church friends had a son in the south tower. He had just started a new job in NY on I think maybe the 60th floor of the south tower. They spent many frantic hours not knowing what had happened to him. Miraculously he got out, had the presence of mind enough to know to get out when the loud speakers were telling people to stay put. I think some of his co-workers didn’t leave when he did. Our children knew of others that were there or in the vicinity as well.
We drove to Houston 2 days later for the wedding but planes were still grounded at that point and some of the wedding party couldn’t get flights from other parts of the country to attend. Our 2 girls and one then boyfriend were to fly on Friday but I wasn’t comfortable with them being on a plane so they cancelled their flight and the 3 of them drove instead. Some other family members weren’t able to get flights either. So it affected us also in indirect ways.
There have been quite a few programs on tv the last couple of weeks dealing with 9/11 and I’ve watched a good many of them & we saw the movie, World Trade Center. After they are over, I feel……….sad, weepy, angry, scared, depressed, all at the same time. It is and will be on tv most of the day today. I’ve watched a lot of the rebroadcast of that morning today. I think it affected most everyone in this country, some in big ways and many of us in small ways like change in plans, inconvenience in travel, etc. It is hard to watch it over again but I think we do need to remember it; remember that people died and remember that WE were attacked on our soil! I think with the passing of time people have forgotten why we are at war and yes we grow weary with it but if we aren’t diligent, it could happen again. It may very well happen anyway but we can’t take lightly that the enemy hates America and wants to see us destroyed. So today I remember what happened five years ago, and it’s my hope and prayer that we never forget. May God bless our country and our troops at war.
Where were you? Do you remember?
September 11th, 2006 at 5:32 pm
I very clearly remember where I was. I was sitting in my 8 o’clock biology I class. We had heard that a plane crashed into the WTC but that’s all we knew. We all thought it was a small 2-person craft. Then, after that class we heard that it was a major plane, they thought the tower might crash, and who knows what else. My next class was in the same room and was taught by my dad. It was great to have him there. On my way back to my dorm room (to watch news reports the rest of the day and watch the towers fall) I remember looking up at the perfectly blue sky with puffy white clouds and trying to comprehend that there was mass destruction, dusty air, and terror going on in NYC. Was a plane going to come to MS? Was I going to be able to get gas (it seems shallow but I was a college freshman whose car was ON EMPTY!)?
You may not know this but the next year on 9/11, Dr. Whitlock, my dad’s fellow physics professor fell while in lab with a student and, on the way to the hospital, passed away. Then two years later (actually on 9/10) was the car accident with Beth, Lindsey, and Maxim dying. Although this is a day of national tragedy, it is also a day of personal tragedy (and joy if the person knew Jesus as Savior!) for many people. All I can say is that I will always remember 9/11 for multiple reasons and over many years.
September 11th, 2006 at 5:58 pm
Claire, I remember the car accident being in September but didn’t realize it was on 9/10, that was hard for all MC students that day. Did not know about Dr. Whitlock…that is so sad.
I remember wondering the same thing about whether a plane would come to MS and wondering where else they might hit. Thanks for sharing.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:07 am
You are so right…after a few years, it’s as if we start to forget we were really attacked on OUR SOIL! Just like Pearl Harbor.
And it was chilling to read your friend’s son escaped, but that they were telling people to just stay put…I had forgotten that!
And I was also struck by the fact your daughter was planning her wedding that week. That had to hard on her….such a joyous occasion interrupted by such a nationally tragic and terrifying time.
Thank you for sharing all of this, and for visiting my story, too. It was nice to “meet” you! Blessings!
September 13th, 2006 at 9:12 am
Great post. I had just passed the State Street exit on I-55 and was floored. Got to the office and we were suppose to have an audit but one of the girls from the State had a cousin in the towers and rescheduled it.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:38 pm
I was at work, on the phone when the first one hit. The guy on the other end wanted to keep talking about something trivial and it was someone saying that a small plane had crashed into the world trade center. I went to try to find information online, but all of the big sites were flooded.
It was shortly thereafter that we heard about the second one and many of us started crowding around TVs to see what was going on. We watched the buildings fall. It was crazy! My wife saw the second plane hit the tower.
Lots of memories.
September 14th, 2006 at 5:35 pm
I was at home because it was early in Seattle. I saw the second plane hit or maybe didn’t but I rushed to work cause I knew it wasn’t going to be good, and it was such a national tragedy. I remember having to “huddle” in my boss’ office to plan the strategy for that day and beyond, he had his TV on. I was of course, transfixed. We had to call customers about their ads, etc. to see if they wanted to run still. It was quite a to – do and I also had your son’s and mine to worry about. Son was with fiance in new orleans, his car was parked in the trade center lot there, it got barricaded in. I didn’t make it to your sons wedding, but did so for mine. It was a real effort to get there, sitting in the airport getting flights cancelled, etc. scary
September 23rd, 2006 at 10:01 am
That was an awful day. Our family was personally affected. I wrote about it, if you’d like to read it.
Start here:
http://thewoodenporch.blogspot.com/2006/09/love-thursdayon-911-what-he-did-for.html#links
It’ll link you to the rest of the story.