Has it really been eight years? I remember September 11, 2001 as if it were…
…well, as if it were the horribly inauspicious day that it was.
The morning dawned bright and sunny here in Minnesota. I went for a walk while the rest of my family slept, and brought home a caterpillar to show the children. Its fuzzy little body was cradled carefully in my cupped palm, and the day struck me as full of promise.
It wasn’t long before the kids woke up—tousle-headed and hungry. I had three at that time: Joe was 4, Jem was 2, and Cate was a wee bouncing babe of 10 months. I got to work scrambling eggs, pouring juice, and enjoying the hustle & bustle & noise of my busy household.
At about 9:15, the phone rang. It was my sister, Renee.
“Margie, do you have the T.V. on?” Her voice was filled with urgency.
“No, I don’t. Why?”
“We’re under attack. It’s horrible.”
And so it was. My husband was on his way to work and stopped by the television, briefcase in hand. We watched in silence as the first building collapsed.
“That can’t be good,” he said somberly, and then, “Well, I gotta go.”
(This is perhaps the one humorous recollection I have from this morning. Even in the midst of uncertainty and crisis, my husband was…my husband. He was only gone for a hour, however, as he was working in the tallest building in the Cities at that time and not surprisingly, it got shut down.)
I was left, alone and bereft, to care for my children and to wonder what was next.
I know that most people were glued to their television set that day, but I just couldn’t watch it. I just couldn’t. I needed to distance myself from the horror and focus instead on the three little people that needed me.
My children were a great comfort to me that day. Their sweetness, their innocence…they seemed to embody everything that was right about the world and yet, in a way, made the attacks all the more frightening. I started to watch EWTN’s live feed on the kitchen computer. They were offering a Mass for all the victims, and the comfort of that network was where I needed to be.
John came home and went directly to the office upstairs. He had Important Attorney Things to do—a deadline that he had to meet—yet still. I couldn’t believe his focus. He didn’t watch the TV either. He sat at that desk for the majority of the day, doing the work that was required of him and perhaps finding solace in its normalcy.
Later I was out on the deck with the children when my neighbor Margaret wandered over.
“I tell you,” she said, “I’m clinging to my beads today.” I nodded sympathetically. Normally Margaret was not one to discuss her spiritual life; today it seemed expected.
Then my neighbor made a surprising request. “Would you mind if I borrowed Jem for a while?” she asked. “Just for an hour or so?”
I didn’t mind.
In fact, I totally understood.
Eventually John made his way downstairs and set his lunch dishes in the sink. “What do you think,” he asked, turning to me, “of inviting the neighbors over for a prayer service later tonight?”
“I think that’s a great idea,” I replied, feeling a rush of love for my husband and a sudden sense of duty. “Could I make bars?”
“You can make bars,” he smiled.
John said he would watch the kids so that I could run to the store for some ingredients. (I even remember the bars that I made—they were “Caramel Layer Chocolate Squares” from a local cookbook, North Country Cabin Cooking.) As I stood in line at the grocer’s with my evaporated milk and chocolate chips, it struck me how very surreal it all was. There were TVs set up in the grocery store—they were playing right next to the check-outs—and I thought about how we were all in this together somehow, strangers and yet not.
Everyone just seemed pensive and…respectful. There’s really no other word for it. It was as if we were thinking, this could be it for us. This day could well be our last.
Because for thousands just like us, it was.
Our neighbors began arriving around 7 p.m. and by 7:30 we were ready to begin. John had left it up to me to plan the service, and because we had friends from different denominations, I thought it best to keep the prayers simple and biblical. I read a passage from Sacred Scripture and invited a neighbor to do the same; we prayed as a group; we talked and hugged.
At one point I remarked that this world was in rough shape, but my neighbor Margaret disagreed. Her optimism and faith made a strong impression on me. It was true; we could not give up.
The Berns family as we were, September 2001The prayers, the visiting, the coffee and dessert…it was a comforting close to a very confused day. As I tucked my three children into their beds that night to the eerie silence of an empty sky, my thoughts were calm though my life seemed uncertain. Hatred and evil were out there, yes, but the faith and hope of this country were stronger.
Our love did and does see us through.
Ad Jesum per Mariam,
I was at work, finishing up a summer in my mom's office at Duke University. I'd just graduated from architecture school and had yet to pick a destination or find an internship. My mom came into the reception area from her office with a tremor in her voice, telling us that a plan had flown into the World Trade Center. I spent the rest of the morning in front of the tiny breakroom television.
I was at home with my kids, too. Eric was at Big Iron … I called him and he said the word had already spread. He came home to get our mini-TV and set it up in the Dow booth at Big Iron. I did spend the rest of the day near the TV. It felt unbelievable and uncertain.
I remember thinking, when the second plane hit, that 'this isn't an accident'.
I think that day is engraved on everyone's memory. We lost TV coverage because we don't have cable (and the transmissions antennas were on top of the towers), though I did see the 1st tower fall while watching our neighbors' TV.
Later we went to the waterfront and saw the horribly altered skyline. I had to see it because I just couldn't believe it was real.
We had just spent a very happy weekend with our 3 very little children. My husband, in his 3rd year of law school at the time, had just gotten a job offer at a big firm whose main location happens to be a block away from the twin towers. We were so thrilled, he landed a really great job. That was Friday night. Monday morning he called me on his way to school and told me to turn on the tv. It was so emotionally devistating, both personally, because suddenly we were worried about our own job future, and of course because of the broader implications of such a travesty. It was terrifying, I turned on just in time to see the second tower get hit. I was holding my oldest son (he was about 3) and crying-he still remembers that. We found out later that very dear friends were in the towers, but had managed to get out in time. Crazy world. It's good to remember those families involved and say a prayer for them today.
mcm
The day is forever a memory for me…Reed and I were on our honeymoon in Duluth. There were places we wanted to visit that were closed, we couldn't drive to the Canadian border that day as we had planned and everyone was in somber spirits. Tv's everywhere were blarring and the same scene was shown numerous times. We were at a B&B and had a radio in our room. I remember hearing about it literally minutes after it happened and heading down to breakfast unsure what it all meant. I also remember being grateful, because at one point during our engagement as we planned our honeymoon destination, New York City was my choice. We would have been there on that day enjoying our honeymoon. For numerous reasons and God's providence, we opted for peaceful Duluth instead. I'll never forget how scary it was coming back home after our honeymoon the next day and feeling like the greatest thing had just happened in our lives just days before and now everything was changed in an instant and suddenly our lives were very scary and a black cloud hung over us all as we faced the unknown.
Everything changes in an instant.
I was leading a short hike for my 8 am environmental science lab.We got back just after it happened, just in time to see the second plane hit. That, and the sight of the buildings coming down was just terrifying, nightmarish.Something I will never forget and hope to God never to see again. When I found out that my young children had been watching the whole thing on TV's at school I was furious.
It was the morning after the birth of our second son. I was snuggling our innocent little babe in our hospital room wondering, "what kind of world were born into, little one?" There was comfort and peace holding our newborn too, proof to us that Love was still reigning in the world. It was such a dichotomy of life-altering experiences.
Surprisingly, we quickly received our discharge orders that morning. Evidently, in the city of St. Paul's own disaster plan, that hospital had to be prepared to handle a disaster should one have also occurred in our area. The maternity ward would have quickly become a cardiac emergency wing. That awareness made the tragedy in the east that day seem so much closer to home.
God bless all of those families who lost one of their own on this day.
At home.
I was ON AN AIRPLANE at the time, heading from Wichita, KS to Atlanta, from where I was supposed to catch a connecting flight to Washington, D.C. to visit some friends. I remember as we were approaching Atlanta, the plane suddenly started circling around and around, and the pilot came on and said we had to wait to land. His voice sounded weird though and I remember thinking that something was wrong. Soon, people started getting calls on their cell phones and the news spread quickly. Everyone was in shock and when we finally landed and got off the plane, the airport was chaos. I was lucky enough to get a hotel room and I spent the rest of the day watching the coverage and making phone calls. I was travelling by myself, being a single girl at the time. Not a nice time to be alone. The next afternoon I was able to rent a car and I headed back to Kansas.
I was working at a Catholic high school. I did not have any children at the time, nor was I married. I was engaged. My fiance (now husband) also was downtown Minneapolis, and I called him … I was scared for him, because he was in the city, and so I wanted him to go home. I think eventually he did. The TV was on in one of the school's conference rooms, and a few of us non-teachers were watching it. At first, I thought it was an accident, but then when the second plane hit, and the news anchors said that it didn't look like an accident, I thought, "Then, what is it?" In my very naive mind, I never thought about being attacked—that it was possible or that anyone would do something like that. My gosh, how that event has changed how we look at the world! We didn't grow up with "terrorist attack" or "homeland security" in our vocabulary, but our children will …
I guess it shows my age that I was a sophomore in high school. It happened right before our time for chapel.
I remember the big screen tv being on the whole day in our commons area and at lunch time.
yes – I think that day will forever be etched in my mind too. My parents were visiting and my husband was on business out of state. We rarely watch TV and my friends know it. I received 2-3 phone calls from friends just telling me, "turn on your TV, I gotta go." I received those same sort of calls again when the 35W bridge collapsed. "Turn on your TV!"
Back to 9/11. My husband rented a car to drive home. I was so emotionally distraught having to "deal" with everything without him near me. Then I realized I had nothing to complain about – he may have been 10 hours away but he WAS coming home. I kept thinking of all the husbands, wives, and kids that wouldn't be coming home and was so thankful for situation I was in.
I live in a small town in NJ just 11 miles from NYC.
My son had just started kindergarten the day before and I was enroute to the school for a volunteer meeting when I heard on local radio that a "small plane" had hit one of the towers. The radio host was talking to a witness on air when all of a sudden the witness started screaming that another plane had hit the second tower! I pulled into the school and ran into the library meeting and told everyone that a second plane had hit the World Trade Center. Nobody knew what I was talking about.
We quickly ran to the principal's office and turned on the tv. There in horror we watched.
School was cancelled and it was chaotic because the school had to locate all the parents. A few students had parents (fathers) who perished in the towers.
I went home and called my friend whose husband worked in the World Financial Center (next door). She told me that he had an early breakfast meeting in the Windows on the World restaurant. He had called and said that they were sending them to the roof for evacuation. A few minutes after we hung up the tower crashed.
I spent the afternoon at another friend's house whose husband worked in the towers. He finally made it home late that night. But we waited there and prayed for hours until she finally heard from them.
The next few weeks were a blur, filled with memorial services for the friends who perished. We lost a good friend (above), father of four young children. A woman in my Mommy & Me class who was pregnant with her second child lost her husband. She was in the shower when he called her and missed his call.
This day profoundly changed my life. I hope the country never forgets this. Our small community was devestated.
On 9/11/2001 I was at the Nutrionist's office at a group meeting. (It's funny when I think about it, because back then I was "always" on some kind of diet.) Someone ran into the office and actually brought in a small portable TV so we could watch. I was in a panic because my husband worked right down the block from the World Trade Center. Luckily he called my cell phone about 8:30am to let me know he was OK. My eldest daughter was on her way to Pace University, just about to board the Staten Island Ferry when the attack occured. Needless to say she never left the Island because ferry service was shut down going towards Manhattan. I was in a dilemna because my other daughter was very close to the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge at her High School and my 3 other children were attending their elementary school in my neighborhood. They were not letting anyone near the Verrazano Narrows Bridge area. My neighbor across the street had a daughter in the same school, and she was able to get through all the traffic to pick up both girls. I will always be very thankful to her for picking her up for me. I went to the elementary school where my other three children were and assured them that their Dad was OK. I spent the entire day in the church which was right on the grounds where their school was.
My husband, being a "higher up" in his company and always being very "compliant" remained in Manhattan for the entire day, watching Ferries bring boatloads of people back to Staten Island from his office window. He said it looked like a war zone outside, with ash and dust flying everywhere. I was never so relieved in all my life to see him when he arrived home about 8pm that night, shell shocked and distraught. It took him about 2 years before he was really back to his somewhat "normal" self. He has mellowed since then, spending more time at home and taking more vacation days. I lost 2 very close childhood friends that awful day. One of them was the Fire Captain of the firehouse closest to the World Trade Center. He was lost in the collapse of the second tower. My other friend was not supposed to be there on a normal business day, but his company had to attend a breakfast meeting that morning at Windows of the World (Just like the previous poster had mentioned. The two men probably knew each other.) Their were also many other people in my borough who were lost that day, including a father of 2 girls that attended school with my youngest three.
The stench from the burning towers could be smelled for days afterwards. I remember it being a smell I had never ever experienced before. We all wondered if it was going to make us sick. Then the funerals started. everywhere you went there were firetrucks and firefighters lined up outside churches. My own parish had lost 7 of it's members, 2 being firefighters. I was there. Right next door to Manhattan on Staten Island. I lived it. You could see the burning towers from the expressway when you drove on it. You could see the fire engines lined up on the dump site, every time you rode by. You could smell the stench of death. It was the scariest day of my life.
God Bless the USA.
Joan and JMB,
I have tears running down my cheeks as I sit here and read your stories. I am praying for those families and for yours. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on that day. It puts things into perspective. I was feeling sorry for myself today because my husband is traveling right now for business. I was overwhelmed with my 4 kids. Now I want to smack myself because I have nothing to complain about.
God bless all those souls lost that day and their families.
Darlene
I was sitting on the couch, watching the Today Show and nursing my first-born when everything started to happen. I live in a commuter town outside of NYC and I remember seeing people coming home that afternoon and evening, gray with ash. And the obits in the newspaper for weeks and weeks and weeks. Very sad, I lost a college friend.
On Sept 10, people would ooh and aah over my little girl whenever I would bring her out in public. Starting Sept 12, people would say oh it's such a shame for her to be born into a world like this. But I agree with you, Margaret, love will bring us through and it did for our friends and family.
My husband and I were watching Good Morning America when it happened. Total shock. I spent the rest of the day glued to the TV. The thing that I remember most was watching my 10 month old baby playing on the floor, oblivious to the news (obviously), and thinking "what will the world be like as he grows up?". To top it all off, I had realized the night before that I was unexpectedly pregnant with our second child. I remember being in tears most of the day.
But now I look at the aftermath. It seemed to pull our country together in a way that had not happened in a while. You could see the goodwill of others come out once more. And I came to see the little one whom we were expecting as God's little gift of hope amongst the evil in the world.
I was a sophomore in college, and was watching the "Today" show in my dorm room after getting out of the shower. I tuned in after the first plane had hit and Al Roker was saying it was probably some terrible commuter plane accident. I didn't have class until 12:00, so I kept watching. After the second plane hit and Katie Couric said "Oh My God" on national TV, I called my mom. It was my brother's 16th birthday–we were supposed to go to dinner that night, but that wasn't going to happen.
When the plane hit the pentagon, that's when we knew something was really wrong. I went to college near Columbus, and the mayor closed the city, so no one could get in or out. I couldn't leave campus, and my parents couldn't come get me. Most classes were cancelled. I watched the towers collapse while huddled with friends in a dorm room. There was a candlelight vigil that night on the lawn in front of the student center, and a prayer service at noon in our concert hall. We sang "Amazing Grace," and that third verse still gets me every time I sing it.
My oldest son (3 at the time) had been asking me the week before, "Mommy, what would happen if a plane hit a building?" He kept asking about it over and over again. I had no idea why.
That morning, I had just finished changing baby #3 and the Christian radio station DJ said that some sort of accident had happened at the WTC and we needed to pray for all involved. I ran to the TV and saw the burning building, and with tears in my eyes, I said to Sean, "Honey, THIS is what happens when a plane hits a building."
Then I saw the second plane come in, and I dropped to my knees and started sobbing, because I knew we were under attack, and I was there in the living room with my 3 precious little ones next to me, depending on me for survival — and I had no idea what we were up against.
I spent the day crying and praying, and hugging them extra close.
I also remember the courage that one homeschooling mom had in all of this. Her husband was THERE, and she had no idea what was happening to him. I remember seeing her quoted as saying that she told the kids, "God is still God, and Daddy is still your Daddy, and they both love you, and until we know otherwise, we're going to keep doing what we're doing." And she kept them focused on schoolwork, rather than freaking out over the TV. God bless that woman!