Thursday, September 11, 2008

A Moment

I was five years old when John F Kennedy was assassinated, yet I can still remember my parents' reaction and I can remember watching the funeral on television. Ask anyone alive at that time and they can tell you where they were, what they were doing.

Even more tragically, I remember driving to work on the morning of September 11, 2001. I was making a left onto Donelson Pike off of I-40 when the usual morning nonsense on Bob and Tom was interrupted with the news that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center...details to follow. As I turned into the parking lot of my office building, they announced the second crash and all nonsense ended.

My office was on the perimeter of the airport and we watched as planes began to land and park. The silence that afternoon was deafening.

Do you remember where you where? What you you were doing? Did you take a moment today to reflect on those who lost their lives on that horrible day? And did you take a moment to thank God that you still live, safely, in this great nation?

6 comments:

Becky said...

I do remember. My elderly aunt was visiting with us and I had workers here doing some outside handyman stuff. My aunt was watching CNN and I was pouring us some coffee when the first report came on. The guys came in and we all sat in the family room watching the news. I went up to the school. Some parents were taking their children home, but I just wanted to see and hug the girls. Most of us felt it was better to try to keep things as normal as possible for the kids.

Suzie said...

I was working for American Express. It was the middle of the night here - I had my first conference call at midnight, then every hour after; went to work at 5am. Many friends and colleagues were either at the World Trade Centre, or saw it all from across the street. An horrific, unforgettable day.

Anonymous said...

I remember, my dear. I remember every day. Blessings to you.
~Cat

Prudy said...

Yes, it's impossible to forget that horrific moment in time. Thanks for the poignant post.

Deb in Hawaii said...

I had moved to Hawaii about 5 months before it happened and I woke up at about 4:00 in the morning because my downstairs neighbor's TV was on and I heard something. I never felt so alone and isolated in my whole life as I did that day with my family and friends all on the mainland.

Tami said...

I remember I was at work in one of the tallest skyscraper downtown. Someone heard the announcement over the radio and we tried to log on to CNN for more info but couldn't get trough because of such heavy internet traffic. Even though we were situated on the other side of the country, our government went into action. From my office window, I had a very clear view of the state capitol building and could see armed snipers all dressed in black...it made a frightening situation all the more real and terrifying. My heart still goes out to all of the families of those who were lost. It was the first thing I thought about today and has been on my mind constantly. You never forget...nor should we. Thank you for your post.