Before the day is out, I'd like to post a little remembrance of that day that changed so many lives. I'm sending out a prayer for those who lost someone that day.
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Before the day is out, I'd like to post a little remembrance of that day that changed so many lives. I'm sending out a prayer for those who lost someone that day.
I had been retrospective and melancholy all day today, remembering that awful morning six years ago.
That day has become one of the touchstones of our generation--people will always remember where they were and what they were doing when those planes hit the Towers. Our daughters had just gone off to school and I was home getting ready to go to a part-time class that morning. I was watching the TODAY show, as I did every morning, when the first footage was aired. Confused, shaken, and scared, I went on to class, only to have it dismissed an hour later when the attacks continued.
My thoughts & prayers continue to go out to the families who lost loved ones in those attacks. None of our lives will ever be quite the same again.
I've been feeling pretty sad today. My hearts and prayers still go out to the families who lost loved ones.
I was getting ready to go to my college classes and my part-time job on campus which was in the student services building. My mom was the one who told me what happened and then I turned on the tv to see what happened. One of the classes I had that day was an intro to mass communications. Our professor let us watch the news and listen to the radio to follow the coverage and then we discussed it. The student services building was so jam packed with people that day who were watching the tv coverage and listening to the radios in the different offices.
I was teaching at Kingwood College at the time. My class didn't start until 11:00 am, so I had time to play on the computer before leaving for work. I opened up AOL around 9:15 am (central time) and saw the photo of the burning towers on their news page with the heading "Planes Crash into World Trade Center," but I thought it was simply a tragic accident and went on checking my e-mail without reading the story. Then, when I got in the car to go to work an hour later, I turned on the radio and there was no music... only news about the attacks. The first thing I heard was "There is no way this was an accident." I finally realized what had happened and my heart was in my throat. When I got to campus, a female security officer was in the parking lot telling us all to turn around and go back home, that school was closed for the day. And this was in Houston!
You're right, we'll never forget.
I still remember listening to the local sports station in my journalism class that morning. I used to listen to the station quite a bit and they're known for joking around and stuff and I was so proud of them that day for their coverage. I had even emailed the PD telling him that we listened in my class and that I was proud of the way they covered the story.
My thoughts also go out to the families of the victims of those horrendous attacks. It affected me for a long time after the day of the tragedy - it brought home the fact that life is short, and that anything can happen at any time. We need to cherish our loved ones while we have each other, and savour every moment.
I was coming home from work when an acquaintance who I met up with when we disembarked from the train told me the devastating news (Cape Town is about 6 hours ahead of New York City). When I arrived home, my parents were watching events unfold on CNN News, which went on until late. I couldn't really function that evening - I just watched television continuously, trying to make sense of it all. It was just unreal. I couldn't really comprehend.
My heart also goes out to all those affected by 9/11, the families and friends and the world.
My son's father was on the highway near the towers and actually saw the plane hit. He immediately called me so I was glued to the TV very early on. This made the 3rd disaster he witnessed 1st hand. He was there in New Orleans, delivering supplies (he's a truck driver) and spent almost 2 weeks in the midst of the devastation waiting for fuel, watching the horrors unfold around him. My daughter was in the hospital just a couple of blocks from the Murrah building when Timothy McVeigh blew it up and we were there at the site about 12 hours afterwards, along with so many others coming to try to understand what had happened and help in any way. I can't even begin to tell you how horrible it was. I will never forget the sight of all the debris and bodies and the sense of unreality and horror and shock we were all feeling after being attacked from within, in the heartland of America. But the grief from the bombing pales in comparison to what happened at the twin towers. So many lives were lost and others changed forever. As devastating as that was, over and above the horror felt by all is the sense of our vulnerability as a nation. Our country has been shaken to its very foundation. We have been changed forever. Our own mortality as a country and a people has been attacked as surely as the towers were, but our spirit still lives. I marvel at the tenacity and resilience of our hearts. May we never forget what happened and choing Mrs Frey, cherish your loved ones, and savor every moment we are given.
That was beautifully written, rcknalwys, and I agree completely.
My heart and prayers go out to everyone affected by this horrible tragedy too.
I have the Today show on at home every morning while getting ready for work and it hadn't happened yet when I left home at about 7:50. When my boss came in to work a few minutes after 8 he said "turn on the tv, something terrible has happened in NYC." So we did and watched it all unfold. Horrible.
It was lunchtime in Dublin when it happened. My daughter was only a few months old and we were having some lunch in a place which functions as a training centre for people with disabilities. It trains them in a catering job and then prepares them to integrate successfully into the general workforce. Anyway the manager came out to us and told us that a plane had crashed into the twin towers. At the time we assumed it was an accident, but then when the second plane hit, and we heard the news from the pentagon we realised that this was no accident. We spent the rest of the day, like many other people following events on the TV and trying to come to terms with the tragedy.
A few years later I saw a programme where a fire fighter with a daughter the same age as ours (3 and a half months when it happened) was killed that day, and it really brought it home to me how unfair it was that she had to grow up without her daddy. Life is fragile and precious and we should do all we can to protect and preserve it.
As with the rest of you my thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives, or who otherwise had their lives ruined on that fateful day.
Interestingly, yesterday morning my daughter asked me to put on 'Hole in the World'. How appropriate!
Thank you DonFan.
The terrible feelings of despair that gripped us all in the wake of the twin towers has been shared by people around the world. One of the saddest aspects to me is that there are millions of people living with the threat of attacks every day. My son-in-law is from Pakistan and although he is here, his family is still in Pakistan and they live in fear. Attacks similar to the the twin towers and Murrah building happen on a daily basis for so many, and I can't imagine the sheer terror they live with. ''Hole In The World" couldn't be more apt.
In Australia it was September 12. It was about 5.30 am when my husband called to me 'you'd better come and look at the TV'. I went downstairs and saw the carnage. My heart started pounding in a way it had not since 1987 when I knew my father had just died (I knew it even though it wasn't confirmed until a couple of hours later). At first I was confused when I saw one of the Twin Towers still standing. 'Well at least this one hasn't fallen' and then - wham - down it went.
My daughter was only three at the time and I took her round to my mother's place (I was on leave from work) and we watched the coverage all day. Rosalind didn't seem to mind that we weren't watching children's programs - it was like she sensed this was big. I had tears running down my face.
It really is moving reading everyone's thoughts. Thanks for contributing.
The impacts of that day are still far reaching and intense. It really did change us forever. I know this as evidenced by the fact that I couldn't even bring myself to read this thread when I first saw it on Tuesday. And as I sit here this morning reading through everyone's experiences and emotions, I literally have tears running down my face. On my drive to work on Tuesday, which was just about the same time of the first attack six years ago, I put Hole In the World in the CD player as well. I guess that's a common reaction for diehard Eagles fans like us. ;) I must be a creature of habit because I was also driving to work six years ago when the first attack occurred. Like everyone else, when I arrived at work, everyone was glued to CNN. We did very little work that day. The company I worked for at the time was headquartered on Long Island so we were confirming the safety of employees throughout the day. Almost as soon as I got home that evening and turned on the television, Building 5 that was attached to the towers collapsed - the last building to fall on a horrible day. When we arrived at work on Wednesday morning our entire computer system in our office in Virginia was dead. After several phone calls, it was ascertained that the computer server for our office had been located in Building 5 of the WTC. Since, of course, there was no way our computer system would be recovered, we spent the next several weeks reconstructing our computers. Of course, this pales in comparison to what others went through. Like everyone else, my thoughts and prayers continuously remain with all those impacted by the events of that tragic day.
Reading this has brought back into focus that terrible time. I was not directly affected by the tragedy as some were. My son and daughter in law were married two months after it happened and she was an EMT at the time, which kinda freaked me out. I hadn't thought before of her job being dangerous. What was hardest for me personally was two weeks later when my best friend's husband was called up to active duty. The day before he left, the school our kids attended was having its annual fall festival and the priest was acting as auctioneer. We went to the side of the tent to ask the priest to take a moment to ask a blessing for him and his family. Instead of doing this outside the tent as we thought, he brought the family into the tent and asked everyone present to extend a hand and join him as he prayed. I stood at the back of the gathering with tears pouring down. A few minutes later when we were saying goodbye in the parking lot, I hugged him and I couldn't let go. As long as he was in my arms, I knew he was safe. I knew once I let go I might never see him again. His daughter was 8 years old...she woke up screaming at night for months, afraid her dad had been killed. I think it was the longest year of their lives.
I'm sorry it's taken me a couple of days to get to this thread. It has been very moving reading all of your contributions. It was lunchtime when my son called down to me to say a plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers, and for the rest of the day we watched with increasing shock and horror as the tragedy developed. Some time later, there was a memorial service on the radio, culminating with Samuel Barber's Adagio. D and I sat with our arms around each other, tears streaming down our faces, and I've never been able to listen to that piece since without being reminded of the senseless loss and grief that so many people experienced.
My husband and I were supposed to fly to Florida for a vacation 4 days after 9/11. We canceled our trip. We just didn't feel like going somewhere for a good time when so many people were hurting. It was a very sad and bewildering time for our country as a whole.
My aunt sent me this ice sculpture. Sorry it's so small, but that's the size I got it.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ddict05/tn.jpg
That's beautiful, PLS.
I googled a few words and came up with this version.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c9...n/0223-2lg.jpg
http://www.firehouse.com/news/2002/2/23_Pice.html
Oooo thank you GEF! I thought it was great when it was small. No doubt the angels were very busy that day cradling the departed in their wings.
Well, It's too late for talking about six years after 9/11. My dad knew that from a friend that worked in one of the Twin Towers, and that he escaped in time from the Tower and from death.
I'm reviving this old thread because today, again, it's the anniversary of 9/11. While we'll never forget that day, it's amazing to me to think that it's been eight years. Wow.
Believe me, I thought about it ALL DAY today. We boarded a plane in Las Vegas this morning and flew home to Wichita. Actually, it was one of the easiest adventures we've had at McCarren Airport in Vegas. They had more security lines opened up and it went really was "fast" getting through even though they had announced "Elevated Security" because of the anniversary.
There was one moment as we were backed away from the gate. We sat for 20 minutes on the tarmac while other planes went around us. I guess there was just a backup in late flights and they wanted to get the really late ones off by making a few who were ready on time or early wait and let the other "heavies" get in front. There was no problem.
I was thinking about this today. My thoughts go out to everyone affected by this atrocity.
I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing -- and I'll never forget it as long as I live. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who was impacted, my gratitude and appreciation to the police, firemen and volunteers who came to serve, and to our entire nation that we were ever subjected to such an unspeakable event.
Funny. It seems like yesterday, yet seems like it happened 20 years ago.
I was facilitating a meeting for about 250 folks, and people started getting cell phone calls and texts...we had to tell the group what was happening and it was impossible. How do you make that announcement to your work collegues without breaking down in tears???
I was most worried about my (then) 7 year old and college student. I never felt so separated from them as that day.
The world has changed, and I don't ever forget what happened. My thoughts go out to those we lost, those who were heroes that day, and those who have fought and continue to fight for us.
It really has been a day of reflection. This is another one of those days in American history that will live in infamy, for sure.
I'll never forget it either. My prayers go out to everyone who lost someone in that terrible tragedy. And to our service men and women who are still fighting and working to keep our country safe.
I know Hole in the World is the Eagles song that most of us immediately associate with the 9/11 tragedy, but for me, the song that I choose to play in memory of the lives that were lost that day is Don's haunting and beautiful New York Minute. That song is so evocative--so expressive--in the way he writes about love and loss, and his gorgeous, world-weary vocals are perfect.
Hubby and I were on vacation at Disney World on 9/11. Specifically, we were at Epcot waiting for the league of nations or whatever it's called to open. We overheard people getting calls and when we asked what was going on were told that a plane had crashed into the WTC. Initially thinking it was a tragic accident, we stopped for some lunch, still in Epcot. When we came out of the restaurant everyone was being herded to the front gates. The park was closed for the rest of the day and reopened the next day. We continued our vacation (what else do you do?) and drove home a couple of days later. I specifically remember on the ride home, even so soon after, many of the vehicles were waving the flag. Shortly after, of course, flags were manufactured specifically for vehicles. May we all join together to strive for an end to this kind of hatred throughout the world.
It gives me tingles just reading these posts. I can't believe it was eight years ago either. Amen to your last sentence, PM. The victims of 9/11 will never be forgotten.
Once again reviving this thread in memory of that day.
Warning: This includes 911 calls that are hard to listen to. I cried.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl4dum6fzNc[/ame]
Appreciate your SIG Soda. I will not Forget!
I don't think anybody who lived through the events of this day 9 years ago ever will.
Today, when we were in Detroit airport getting ready to board our plane, there were a few soldiers among the passengers, one in combat uniform. The airline agent announced that the soldiers would board first. She then asked that we give a round of applause for those in the military. It was quite moving.
Well - I'm a day late in posting this, but not a day late in remembering this day and how it changed our lives. Soda, that video that you posted is hard to watch, but still, I watched it anyway. You can't help but get all choked up.
And GL, they did almost the same thing in the airport last weekend when we had some service men and woman on one of my flights out to Colorado. Then, once airborne, we gave them another round of applause.
I can not believe that's the tragedy was 9 years ago!
At that time I came from the work and turned on the tv, I could not believe and understand what I saw there.
I watched a lot of the memorials and documentaries yesterday. Last year I worked all day on 9/11 and didn't get the chance to think about it too much. At least yesterday I felt like it was front and center in my mind most of the day.
Thought I'd bring this thread back up to remember all the victims and heroes of that awful day. As we remember the 10th Anniversary.