My 9/11 Experience

I am just an average American. I am not going to tell you I had a loved one who perished on that fateful day. I had no special connection or bond with anyone involved in this tragedy. No special bond other than the fact that these people were my countrymen. I had always wondered how people could say they remembered exactly what they were doing when they received the news that John F. Kennedy had been shot. I couldn't understand how it was possible to freeze a moment in time and hold it in your heart and memory decades later. Sadly, now I do understand. I was in the cafeteria at Oakwood, where I worked at the time. A young man came up to me and told me what had occurred in New York. Honestly, I didn't believe him. I thought he must be mistaken. I was soon to learn that unfortunately he wasn't. When I went back to the home I was working in it was all over the news. I felt numb inside and internally it seemed as though I just shut down....remember? When I went home that day, I laid on the couch and watched the news for the next 72 hours. I was almost in a coma like state. I hardly moved from the couch. I was literally glued to the television, eagerly awaiting each new report. I must have been in shock because honestly it hadn't really sunk in that this was real. I couldn't seem to fathom that the buildings were truly gone. Those of you around my age know that the Twin Towers were synonymous with pictures of the  New York City Skyline. In fact, they were a symbol for our entire country. This ordeal weighed heavily on my mind for the next several months. In fact, it seemed to have a most peculiar effect on  me. I was almost obsessed with the people who perished.  I wanted to pay my respects to the men, women, and even children who lost their lives that day. Yes, children! Once, as I watching CNN they were scrolling through the names of the people who had lost their lives. I noticed on the plane that crashed into the North Tower there was a father and his daughter who was the same age as my own precious child. Natalie was nearly two at the time and I couldn't bear to  imagine losing her. In that moment, I put myself in that father's place and I nearly became unglued! I couldn't imagine the horror that he faced as he looked into his baby's eyes and knew that in just a few moments she would be no more! The horror that they all must have faced that day is beyond belief. I am still in awe of what they must have felt. Several months later, in April of 2002, I traveled to New York City for the first time in my life to pay respects to the fallen victims and their families.  I was amazed at what I saw and experienced. I had always heard that New Yorkers were rude. I found that to be false. Perhaps, due to 9/11,  everyone I came in contact with was polite and friendly. When I was at the observation deck a man came up to me that had lost a family member in the attacks. He took out his billfold there on the platform with hundreds of people around and showed me a picture of his wife who had died that day. I was amazed that in N.Y.C. he felt comfortable enough to do this, but it was understood by everyone there that this was sacred ground. There is  no denying that 9/11 had a profound effect on New York, our country and even me. Let us never forget!!!