I hear on the radio a lot of mentions about the people who died, about the children of those who died, the mentions of the people who gave their lives trying to help. Firemen, police men, etc.
Everyone who was born before 9/11 can probably remember what they where doing that day. It is not every day that people can be part of history and especially when it is such a horrifying event.
When 9/11 happened I was in NYC. My daughter Gaby was 8 months old. I had her in my arms when a neighbor called to tell me to look out the window and put on the news. I saw the twin towers and smoke coming out of them. At that moment I did not know the significance of this. This was my second year in NYC. I did not know what the twin towers was besides two identical looking buildings. It had no meaning to me. Terrorists where something you saw in Movies, for some reason I thought terrorism was a fictional occurrence. My first thought was "What idiot pilot crashes into a building?" I really thought it had been an accident, until the second plane crashed.
Now, ten years later my daughter asks me how was life like before 9/11 as the life she has lived has always been post 9/11. Where there are amber alerts, and ads that advice "If you see something, say something" and cops are everywhere, police check points in subways and we are constantly at war.
My child has no memory of life in USA without WAR!
I think that is sad. I remember when war was something that happened in other countries, never here.
I guess we are the same like other countries. We are not any more special that anyone else even though I grew up hearing that we were.
I don't think I know what that means anymore.
Yesterday I heard on the radio the following: The 10th anniversary of 9/11 is coming, what are you going to do to remember?
Truthfully? I wish I didn't remember.
As I kept on listening on the radio station they were playing messages of children of the people that died on 9/11 saying messages to their deseased parents. Our eyes watered and we had to change the channel. We chose not to think about it as we did when we chose to turn off the TV back in 9/11/2001. The TV was filled with news casts of what was happening and after 2 days of it we couldn't take it anymore so we chose not to watch. It was the most depressing thing ever and we didn't even know anyone who died on 9/11. We do not know anyone personally who suffered a loss that day, but we were here, and we saw the towers up in smoke out our own window.
We saw the news we saw the people.
It is something we will never forget. But it is not something we wish to make and effort to remember.
We do feel that all those people who gave their lives in 9/11/2001 deserve to be remembered and they will be, every day of the lives of those who knew them and symbolically by everyone else who heard about this event.
Do you have a 9/11 story? Feel free to share.
Laura, thank you for sharing your story here. I have been reading 9-11 stories on other blogs all evening and each one has a different feel to it. I did not think I would be drawn into the whole anniversary hoopla, but I have been and now I'm actually glad. I really want to spend the time thinking about it, to honor the dead and to also honor this important moment in our history.
ReplyDeleteOn that day, my husband and I were both home with the flu. My 2 boys were 5 and 2. I remember turning on the Today show and seeing what was going on. I woke my husband up to watch. We spend the whole day in bed sick, watching the drama unfold on t.v. I remember just feeling scared and sad and all the same feelings as everyone else. That week the t.v. was on 24/7. I hardly slept.
That's how I remember that week and that day. Thank you for opening up your blog to talk about this. Take care.
Michael Ann
http://thinkinginmyheadma.blogspot.com
I wondered all week if I should write a post on my blog regarding 9/11 but didn't feel qualified to. I was not in USA when your country was under attack, although two dear friends of mine were in New York - their stories of their experiences have more weight than mine. Stories of not being able to contact each other, being re-united, one of them covered, covered in dust and debris.
ReplyDeleteRemembrance is important - if anything, it lifts us from our petty everyday niggles and reminds us to be thankful for everything that allows us to live, breath and be with those we love.
One thing I know is....Everybody knows what they where doing that day.
ReplyDeleteI was going from San German to San Juan for a meeting with my dads paintings..To American Greetings at Condado. When I was 1 hour from my home....bye car....I was listening to music and suddenly ....News in English and I heard about this airplane that went into the Tower.....I can tell you that my first thought was.....OMG!!!!! This pilot is blind? How can he not see that tower?....I was surprised but not scare....until I heard about the second plain....Then I really pick the cellular phone and try to reach Laura my daughter at her Home...I was really scare until I heard her voice and new she,her daughter and husband where OK.
When I got to American Greetings...the TV was on and for the first time I saw what I was listening...I could not close my mouth....The world we new was not longer there...=(
After the meeting I went to Old San Juan and I have to pass bye a road near open sea.....The minutes I was in that road I was expecting plains to attack us.....OMG!!!!That scare I was...Until I saw my niece Karla and we spend the afternoon together...=)
I can not imagine people that lives in countries with war 24/7....That is not fare for living soles ....to live this way.
9-11 A Day We Will Never Forget Even If We Want...God Bless All.