I still remember this day as if it just happened yesterday, the lives lost, the way our country banded together, the feelings of horror, hurt, and shock. Â Everyday for the rest of my life I will remember what I was doing and where I was when I found out about the attacks on our country.
On September 11, 2001 I awoke to start my day like normal. Â I raised, turned on the television that was on early morning shows and nothing out of the ordinary was going on. Â I woke my son (almost 2 at the time), fed him and got him ready for day care. Â As with every morning, I took a little extra time and care with him, making sure to love on him, laugh with him and treasure the fun moments before we parted for the day. Â Â Finally the time came to take him to school, we load in the car and I turn on my CD and we jammed out on the way to school. Â Nothing out of the ordinary was going on in our world…or so I thought. Â I dropped him off, running in making sure to hug him tight. Â Headed home to throw on my work clothes and head into work.
The morning news shows at this time would have been reporting about that first plane, but I didn’t get to see that yet. Â I remember walking into my work and seeing the faces of my co workers in shock and wondering what was going on. Â Then the words came out of my friend and co workers mouth “America is being attacked”. Â As my mind took in what she was saying it was like a my world stopped. Â I tried to digest what she was saying and I hear the muffled news updates in the background. Â As I remember to breathe I am seeing faces of everyone I love and wondering what this means for our country. Â What will happen to my family, my friends? Â I want at that moment to turn around, drive as fast as I can and go get my son and hold him tighter than I ever have.
Knowing that I can’t leave, I breathe and regain my composure as everything around me still seems a fuzzy dream.  I focus as best I can as we stand around with customers watching the news to see what is going on and  why.  I remember all day feeling anger, at the people behind this.  Sorrow for the lives lost.  Amazement at the people who risked their lives to save so many.  Awe at the way our country, who is more often than not divided, joined together.  There were no races, no genders, no ages, we were all one.  We were all supporting each other, we were all hurting, angry and in shock.  Everyone praying, hoping, listening.
Over the next few weeks I collect video, magazines and papers of this horrendous moment that caused our country to all support one another. Â I remember watching our President handle things that no President should ever have to deal with and I was just amazed with him. Â I remember sitting every night holding my son as close to me as I could because so many parents lost children that day. Â I remember calling my mom at least 10 times a day because I thought about the children who lost parents. Â I remember making sure my friends new how much I cared because of how many friends were lost on this day.
The pictures of that day such as this one (below) will always be in my mind and just as clear as the first time I saw them.
I will forever remember the stories of lives lost to protect our country on the plane that went down. Â I will forever remember the lives lost because they were on those planes or in the twin towers. Â I will remember the images of the crashes into the towers, the pentagon and the field. Â But what I will remember and hold dear forever is the way our country was not seperated by anything that day but rather we were all on one page, we were all joined in unity. Â It should not be on this day only that we remember and join together but rather everyday we should strive to support each other as we all did on that day.
9/11/01 is a day not one American will forget (the ones that understood what was going on). Â A day that for as long as we will go on we will think of lives lost willingly (by taking down a plane or going into a building to save others) or unwillingly (being on a plane that crashed into a building or simply being in the office that day), the heroes, the parents that lost children and children that lost parents. Â The place we were when we heard and what we felt. Â It’s a day that for as long as I live will always seem like it was only yesterday.
Thank you to those who risked their lives to save others. Â Thank you to those who sacrificed their lives to make sure someone else lived. Â Thank you to the families who have shown what it means to have strength.
September 11, 2001 Â is a day that brought America together when someone was trying to tear it apart.
Toni Patton
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When the first plane struck, I was at work talking on the phone with my sister who was at work in the Empire State Building in NYC. “A plane just hit one of the twin towers,” she said. But there was no news on it yet. We thought it was an everyday plane crash, exchanged “oh my god’s” and said our goodbye’s. That was the last time I would speak to her until much, much later that night, when phone service was finally restored.
I’ll never forget the images, the fear and the hush that settled over everyone that day. I can’t believe it’s 8 years later…
.-= Jill´s last blog ..I might get black-balled for this but… =-.
I think it’s impossible to forget what happened that day, and how much things were changed.
It definitely made me hug my little one tighter today and say thanks for all I have.
.-= Staci A´s last blog ..MSN Mom’s Homeroom =-.
We must continue to pray for America daily