I am a few days late on posting this blog (we were out of town with Michael's family over the weekend...a very nice time in the North GA mountains) but I feel like I definitely need to write on the topic that is probably on so many people in our country's mind right now...the ten year anniversary of 9/11.
Pretty much everyone I know can remember exactly what they were doing, where they were, how they felt, that day. No matter where you live in the country, the events that unfolded on that day affected everyone in some way. It is one of those moments in history that stays with you forever.
I was actually at work, at Associated Credit Union, at my desk on September 11, 2001. A radio always played softly in the background as we worked, but today the music seemed to stop and there was all talking. A girl in our department was training a new employee and was talking so loudly that we could barely hear the radio, but most of us could tell it was something very important that had happened. Finally I told her to just shut up, clearly something more pressing than her teaching the new girl how to order debit cards was going on in the world and I wanted to hear what it was. I felt confused about what I heard (although probably the information was sketchy with those early reports), how could a plane not see that huge giant tower and plow into it? It seemed quite clear though after a second plane hit the second tower that we did not just have two random accidents, that something quite scary was going on.
I know I completely stopped working at that point. I just sat and listened to the radio and wondered what in the world was going on in New York. Then I heard something that made me a lot more scared on this strange day. A plane had also flown into the Pentagon in Washington DC.
Now, if you know me, you know that I am NOT a fan of flying. I am also not a fan of those I love flying often, and unfortunately, my Dad travels a lot. On planes. Ever since I was quite young, I would beg him not to go on his trips and he would tell me that actually flying is safer than driving. I guess I see his logic, somewhat. I know that car accidents happen a lot more frequently than plane crashes. However, if you are on a plane and it goes down, you are very likely to not survive. Hence my desire for him (or me, or anyone I care about) to just not be in one.
Back to 9/11. I knew that my Dad had a business trip to Washington DC that week and that he was supposed to be flying into DC that very day. You can probably see where my head was going at that time. Sure, probably a million flights fly into DC each day, from a hundred different places. Not having the most confidence in flying in general, I jumped to the worst possible scenario and my common logic took a back seat. I very nearly freaked out. I first called my Dad's cell phone. No answer. Then I called my parents' house. No answer. Dad's cell again. No answer. Finally I decided to, even though I knew he was supposed to be out of town, call his office. When the receptionist answered I didn't even know exactly what to say (ask for my Dad when I know he isn't there? ask if he was on the plane that just crashed? ) so I just said something stupid like, 'Hi, this is Nicki' (after 4 years of calling my Dad at work from college, along with my Dad being the boss, the receptionist knew me pretty well, haha). She said, 'Hi, Nicki, your Dad is right here walking through the lobby, hold on a sec'. Talk about relief. When he got on the phone I probably yelled at him for not answering his cell, but I was never so happy to hear his voice. He said that his trip was cancelled, given the events of the day.
The credit union closed at 3 that day and I was glued to the television for the rest of the night, watching the horror that occurred in our country. Since that day I have read so many books and watched so many different shows that tell about this tragedy. Even seeing the same images over and over again still make me cringe and feel so sad for everyone who lost someone on that day. I am not someone that lost a family member in the 9/11 attacks, but for about 5 minutes on that morning, I didn't know that for sure. While that was a scary moment for me, it was nothing compared to what so many people went through on that day. However, as you can probably imagine, I am still not a fan of flying.
Each year since, I have always spent the time watching different documentaries (even the same ones over and over) about the tragic day. I feel like hearing the details of the day and the stories of loss and the stories of heroism each year help me to remember and help me to be thankful for everyone and everything I have. Last year, I wasn't able to pay as much attention to the anniversary....it was my first full day home from the hospital with my newborn baby girl. This year, a decade after the attacks, my DVR is overflowing with any and everything about the day. I would love to go and visit the new memorial and see the new World Trade Center some day. I know I am going to remember that day, those images, those stories, for many decades to come.
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