That morning I was on my way to Mom’s farm 100 miles away to take her to a doctor’s appointment. I had an oil change scheduled early at the dealership and was in the waiting room watching TV when I saw the first reports of the plane crashing into the Trade Center. By the time they had the car ready and I was on the road to Mom’s, the second plane went down. The radio announcers reported the news in a panicked state and I remember feeling so vulnerable in a world I’d never known. America was under attack and I felt like Chicken Little out in the open. I turned the car around, called Mom and told her to turn the TV on and to stay inside close to the phone. As I drove home I saw long lines at gas stations, really long…out on the highway, backed up to refuel in this state of emergency. My head spun with what to do first, call my husband…he had left that morning on a business trip and was on the road too. He was aware of the reports but wasn’t in the same state of panic. When I told him that gas had tripled in price in the minutes that I was sitting in line, he turned around and headed home. We both were thinking at this point how gas rationing would affect our lives. In the days that followed I stocked up on bottled water and pinto beans and watched the coverage on TV. I remember thinking how worried I was about Mom’s declining health and Amy’s broken heart. Now those problems seemed so small compared to the grief so many were facing with the loss of their loved ones.
The world began the healing process in the months following the attack. You couldn’t see it happening, it was slow. We all faced the fact that life would never be the same for any of us. But slowly we began living our lives again.
Mom remained on her farm until 2005 and enjoyed the home Daddy had built in 1949. She now lives 10 minutes away and calls Jamestown Home Sweet Home. She is happy and secure once again.
Amy got stronger and grew from the experience of an abusive relationship. She is now in a wonderful relationship and has a 4 year old son.
My brother and I emailed or talked to each other every day for the remaining year that he lived. We said a lot in those few months. He passed in June of 2002.
In 2004 we began building our home on Granny Mountain. A lot has happened in ten years. Life has a way of going on. Regardless of what happened yesterday, one thing is certain about life…the fact that it’s uncertain. But that makes the sun coming up each morning so special.
Joining other bloggers today to honor those who lost their lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with the many loved one's left behind.
Joycee, Thank you for sharing your thoughts from that September day. A day that we will never forget. I remember my first thought was disbelief. How could this happen?
ReplyDeleteReality set in. I felt desperate, sad, shocked,helpless,angry. So many emotions all at once.
I was on a tour bus in Canada, going to "Niagara Falls." The bus driver announced what had occurred. All the faces on the bus were looking at each other. No doubt thinking, this cant be happening!
I didn't get off the bus. I couldn't move I felt sick, the tears were flowing. I wanted to be alone. I told my husband to go with my brother and his wife, they were visiting from Australia.
We cut our trip short, headed home to Maine. Our lives are changed forever!
This was a beautiful post. Thanks for sharing those memories and thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI had just welcomed an Elderhostel to ECCO the day before, and the daughter of one of the participants lived blocks from the Trade Center. The shock, agony and fear of New Yorkers was brought home, in spades, to 40 of us that week as we waited to find out her fate. Luckily later that day, Sept 11, we found out that she was fine. As fine as you can be when your world has just been turned upside down.
I liked reading your experiences on that day.
ReplyDeleteI have a weird story from that moment. I woke up far earlier than I should have considering I'm a night owl and quite robot-like walked downstairs (my Mom still had her old turn of the century house then) and plopped down on the floor (something I never did) right in front of the TV and turned it on (another thing I never did as I always watched whatever my Mom had on) and within a few minutes it played out live. My behavior was like I was in tune with the world and aware of the tragic event about to take place.
Another weird experience that took place many years before in 1989 when I lived on Staten Island was when I was in the WTC. I remember very clearly touching the wall and reflecting for a moment that something very bad was going to happen and I felt very sad and concerned.