I was upstairs in the bedroom getting ready with the tv on watching Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson on Good Morning America. The boys were playing on the floor. I had to sit down on the bed when I saw it. Did I just see an airplane fly right into the World Trade Center? My first thought was about my two brother-in-laws who lived in the city. I called my husband who was watching it at work. I called my parents who didn’t have the tv on at the time. I talked to my mother and father-in-law. My husband’s brothers were fine. Phone lines were down. My father-in-law, told me to stay inside and not go out if I didn’t have to. I didn’t leave the house.
We had just stood on top of one of the towers only six weeks earlier on the 5th of July. We were visiting my husband’s family and went into the city for the day. We wanted the boys to see the view from the top. It was breathtaking. Those pictures bring a chill to my body.
I sat with my mouth hanging open, staring at the tv for minutes before I could get up. This wasn’t really happening was it? So many people covered in ash and running while papers filled the sky as if a ticker tape parade was about to start. The tv coverage didn’t stop for weeks and was continuous, ‘round the clock footage of the scene for many days without a break.
We were finally able to talk to my husband’s brothers and they were fine. The line, however, of people looking for their loved ones and taping up posters was close to their home and stretched for blocks. The smell was strong. There was a grey sky for days.
I didn’t do much that day, except watch the coverage and switch channels from station to station to try and obtain more and more information. I couldn’t wait for my husband to get home. Why?
Ten years has passed since that morning. We have so much information about what happened, but still really no answers as to why. Husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, friends, lost their lives and for what? My husband and I have driven past ground zero. It’s hollow. It’s huge. The space the two buildings filled was vast.
I am somber today at the passing of this memorial day. For my generation, this is the “event” that we will remember where we were when it happened. We will always remember the brave people who sacrificed their lives to try and save others. We will always remember the stories of survival and the stories of families who lost loved ones. Let’s remember not only the people who’s lives were impacted, but remember that a peaceful world begins with each kind gesture or word that we utter. Be kind. Love each other as only we can do.
