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On 9/11/2001, I was working with a few people in our office. We didn't have any radio on and were all busy collaborating on a new training manual. My daughter, Melanie, called and said turn on a radio or TV and told me what was happening. Well, we had a TV, but no reception because we didn't have it hooked to antenna (only used it for viewing video), so someone turned on a radio. Melanie was on the phone giving me a play by play of everything that was happening. It wasn't a speaker phone so I was turning an relaying all the messages to everyone in the office. We were all stunned. When she first told me we were under attack, the first words out of my mouth were "Nostradamus was right."...because I immediately thought of his prophecies (which I had studied in both English and French in college) and the next words were Jesus is coming back soon.
As Melanie was telling me what was happening, she all of of sudden just started repeating, "Oh, my God!, Oh, my God!" I'm going, "What's happening...what's going on?" She couldn't talk for a minute and then she said the tower just collapsed. I didn't understand and with no image it was hard to visualize. She said, "Mom, there is nothing left. It just collapsed to the ground."...and not long after the other one. Everybody in the office was just in a state of shock. Melanie hung up shortly after that as she was just too upset to talk anymore. We pretty much stayed on the internet the rest of the time we were at work which was very much against company rules, but we really didn't care that day.
If I remember correctly they let us go home a little early that day and I listened to reports all the way home, but it wasn't until I got home and saw the actual footage on TV that it hit me how horrible this event had been. Like most people I was glued to the TV every available minute after that.
Later that night, I went to at that time my favorite discussion board. This was back when "Big Brother" was the "in" TV show and I was a member at TVClubhouse. We were tracking events there and came to find out that two of our members (one I had talked to a good bit) had been in the towers that day. They were okay and had gotten out (thankfully) but they gave very detailed reports of what they went through. One lady was in the 2nd tower to be hit and when they saw the 1st tower hit. Her office met in a small group and decided they would start making it down the tower. She said they just had a gut feeling they should get out of the building. They had gotten almost to the bottom (I think about the 20th floor) when they got hit, but they were able to get out okay. The other lady was in the 1st tower and said a voice came over their intercom telling them to stay in place and remain calm. She and a few friends also felt they should get out and they headed down. Her office was on the 40th (or thereabouts) floor range and they made it out before the collapse.
I sat there and read all night everything I could find and watched and re-watched it on TV. It was just one of those surreal moments in life when something earth shattering happens.
The only other time I have felt that way was when John F. Kennedy was shot. I was in elementary school and was getting a drink of water from the water fountain outside at recess when a teacher came running out of the school screaming that the President had been shot. I'll never forget it.
...and I'll never forget the events of 9/11 either.
My prayers go out tonight to the families and friends of those where were lost that day and also the families and friends that have lost loved ones in defense of this country ever since that day.
I pray that nothing that devastating ever happens in this country again, but sadly I think next time it will be a lot worse.
Enjoy the life we are given and treasure it. We never know how much longer we will have our way of life or our freedom or our families. Life is a blessing to be treasured and I will remember that in my nightly prayers tonight.
God Bless!
Grits
As Melanie was telling me what was happening, she all of of sudden just started repeating, "Oh, my God!, Oh, my God!" I'm going, "What's happening...what's going on?" She couldn't talk for a minute and then she said the tower just collapsed. I didn't understand and with no image it was hard to visualize. She said, "Mom, there is nothing left. It just collapsed to the ground."...and not long after the other one. Everybody in the office was just in a state of shock. Melanie hung up shortly after that as she was just too upset to talk anymore. We pretty much stayed on the internet the rest of the time we were at work which was very much against company rules, but we really didn't care that day.
If I remember correctly they let us go home a little early that day and I listened to reports all the way home, but it wasn't until I got home and saw the actual footage on TV that it hit me how horrible this event had been. Like most people I was glued to the TV every available minute after that.
Later that night, I went to at that time my favorite discussion board. This was back when "Big Brother" was the "in" TV show and I was a member at TVClubhouse. We were tracking events there and came to find out that two of our members (one I had talked to a good bit) had been in the towers that day. They were okay and had gotten out (thankfully) but they gave very detailed reports of what they went through. One lady was in the 2nd tower to be hit and when they saw the 1st tower hit. Her office met in a small group and decided they would start making it down the tower. She said they just had a gut feeling they should get out of the building. They had gotten almost to the bottom (I think about the 20th floor) when they got hit, but they were able to get out okay. The other lady was in the 1st tower and said a voice came over their intercom telling them to stay in place and remain calm. She and a few friends also felt they should get out and they headed down. Her office was on the 40th (or thereabouts) floor range and they made it out before the collapse.
I sat there and read all night everything I could find and watched and re-watched it on TV. It was just one of those surreal moments in life when something earth shattering happens.
The only other time I have felt that way was when John F. Kennedy was shot. I was in elementary school and was getting a drink of water from the water fountain outside at recess when a teacher came running out of the school screaming that the President had been shot. I'll never forget it.
...and I'll never forget the events of 9/11 either.
My prayers go out tonight to the families and friends of those where were lost that day and also the families and friends that have lost loved ones in defense of this country ever since that day.
I pray that nothing that devastating ever happens in this country again, but sadly I think next time it will be a lot worse.
Enjoy the life we are given and treasure it. We never know how much longer we will have our way of life or our freedom or our families. Life is a blessing to be treasured and I will remember that in my nightly prayers tonight.
God Bless!
Grits