Remembering 9/11, 22 years later

No one had mentioned a date that was instantly recognizable before.

85% of people 35 and over remember where they were on 9/11. When President Kennedy was shot is the closest other memory of a significant date.

Twenty-two years ago, we lived in a different time, where we got our information from TV, not our phones.

My husband and I were flying out that night for a bicycle trip in southern France. Roger loves planning trips and had spent months preparing for it. I took a train into the city to finish some work and would meet Roger at the airport for our 9 p.m. flight.

Entering the office early, it was quiet, a great time to plow through the important issues on my desk so that I wouldn’t worry about work while away.

The phone rang, and regretfully, I picked it up. I was deep in thought about finishing a memo. It was my girlfriend, Carol, who was screaming.

“Where are you?”

“Carol, what’s wrong?”

“Oh my God, Oh my God.”

I shivered. Should she call 911? I hadn’t any idea what was wrong, but I heard her TV in the background.

She said, “Turn on the TV.” We didn’t have one in the office.

“Carol, what happened?”

Through tears, she described what she was watching. A moment later, my admin dashed into the office sobbing. She saw both planes hit the Twin Trade Center Towers. She reached for the phone and called her mother.

Stunned and not comprehending what happened, I tried calling Roger. All lines were jammed.

The Regional Vice President of my company and his HR person burst into the office and reached for the phones. We worked for a large international company with many employees in the Towers. Were they safe? Did they get out?

Fear, genuine fear, entered our lives that day. Was there more to come? Are there more targets? There was no hotel to be had. Worried about what would be next, people didn’t want to take public transportation.

After a long day of calls, I just wanted to be home. With my heart in hand, I took the train. Meeting Roger, we just held each other for a long time. I was to meet a client at the towers that morning.  He called to cancel at 5:30 p.m. the night before. I would have been there at the same time. We thanked God I wasn’t and prayed for all those missing and the families of all who perished.

Over the next few days, signs were posted around the city with pictures of missing people and when they were last seen. Someone said it was like Germany at the end of WWII, where posted photos of loved ones hung by families searching for them, praying they survived the camps.

Our company lost three people in the towers and more from the toxic fumes later in life. The funerals were heartbreaking. For weeks, the New York Times posted photos and bios of all the people presumed dead. I read every one, somehow compelled that it was only right to recognize them.

Plans for a vacation, my “important” unfinished memo, seemed so foreign. What was truly important? That day, around the world, we realized few things are needed, and we should choose what is better. (Luke 10: 42).

What can we do now, 22 years later?

While searching hopeful messages for this blog, I found these amazing quotes from those lives affected and a digital presentation created by the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

Quotes of faith in tomorrow

“If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.”
—Sandy Dahl, wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in 2002

“I still have the shoes I wore to work that day. The soles are melted, and they’re caked in ash. I keep them in a shoebox with the word ‘deliverance’ written all around it. They’re kind of like my ark, a reminder of God’s presence and the life I owe to him.”  Stanley Praimnath, 9/11 survivor

“I may never know the answers to the questions that plagued me after 9/11. But I know if we lean on God and each other, we will be guided to a better, brighter future.”  Michael Hingson, 9/11 survivor

“On September 11, I always take the day off. I want to be in a peaceful, quiet place praying. It is a day I both mourn and celebrate.”  Genelle Guzman-McMillan, 9/11 survivor

Digital Learning Experience by the 9/11 memorial and museum.

This offering is geared toward students, but it is available to anyone. Should you have children or grandchildren, this may be a place to help them understand the stories of courage, faith, and hope.

From their site: Join students and teachers from around the world to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of 9/11 by registering for the FREE 9/11 Anniversary Digital Learning Experience, formerly known as Anniversary in the Schools.

https://911memorial.org/learn/students-and-teachers/anniversary-schools-DLE-Landing

May we take time on this day to remember what is important and to choose to love one another and show each other honor.