What a perfectly beautiful morning, I thought as I hung up the phone and looked out the back door. A perfect day for flying...I had just finished talking to my daughter in Florida. We were both excited and making plans about our visit. I was scheduled to fly out the next morning, September 12, 2001. My birthday is on September 16 and my son in laws' is on the 14th. We thought it would be fun to celebrate together. I remember thinking, as I continued to get ready for work, 'I wish I had left yesterday (the 10th), I would already be there having fun'.
I had the radio on, as usual, listening to my favorite DJ's on KSBJ, a Contemporary Christian station. I looked at the clock, it was about a quarter to eight. I was running a little late because I had stayed on the phone too long. As I ran to get dressed, the DJ broke in to announce that there had been some sort of explosion at the World Trade Center in New York City. I quickly turned on the TV to get more information. To my horror, there it was; live coverage of this horrible event. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing! Suddenly, I saw an airplane heading toward the second tower, the first tower already in flames. The plane crashed into the building and appeared to come out the other side. I watched in utter disbelief as pandemonium broke loose.
I had to leave for work and by the time I got to the salon the whole world seemed to come to a halt. All of the local radio stations were broadcasting live reports. Everyone seemed to be in shock as we listened to this unbelievable tragedy unfold. As the day wore on, I realized that I wouldn't be boarding a plane the next day because all flights were grounded...every airport in the nation was shut down. At the end of the day, I went home and turned on the TV, once again seeing the Towers being assaulted, watching as they tumbled to the ground. Over and over, they showed them as they fell. By this time, the reality of what had happened became clear. The hijacked planes, the attack on the Pentagon, people running in the streets. I finally had to turn it off. I was numb. I called my daughter, my son...every one in my family.
The next morning I got up to another perfect day, weatherwise, but I wasn't going anywhere. I turned on the TV. There it was again, footage of the Towers coming down. Stories began to unfold...it seemed to go on and on. I was so sad and angry. I had to turn it off and get out of the house. I put my bathing suit on and went out to the pool and floated around all morning. I lived close enough to the airport that I could hear the planes as they took off. They flew over my house as they coasted in to land. The noise of the airport was just a part of our daily life. But not this morning. As I floated around looking at the perfect, cloudless blue sky, there were no planes, no noises coming from the big airport. The world was eerily quiet. The trees were almost perfectly still. There were no birds chirping or flying about. No dogs barking, very few cars passing by. It was as if the whole universe had been paralyzed by this tragic turn of events. I began to pray; God help us all! Then came the tears. Our world was forever changed that day. Now, five years later, we are still shaken...WE WILL NEVER FORGET!
Remember the heros and those who lost loved ones, ya'll
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