Friday, September 11, 2009

Do You Remember?

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when there was an attack on our country, eight years ago today?

Growing up, I would hear stories from adults who had been alive during some national tragedy. Even if their memories of the days before and after the events were fuzzy, they can recall details from exactly those moments. When a war ended. When a beloved president was assasinated.

What was on TV? The radio? What were you wearing?

The morning of September 11th, 2001 I was a senior in high school. I was in my auto maintenence class. One of only 2 girls in that class. My best friend Keith was at my side when there was an announcement. Keith was trying to explain why it was important that I not break the piston rings I was holding. The teacher turned on the TV. We watched a plane fly into a very tall building. Then an explosion at a five sided building. I was nieve enough to not even know the importance of those buildings at the time, or what they would come to represent. I didn't know any of the people who lost their lives that day. But I still well up everytime I see one of those paintings with the Bald Eagle and the Twin Towers in the background.

I remember that I was wearing a Carhartt sweatshirt and jeans with oil all over them. And I was very blond back then. And I remember that I didn't break any of those piston rings. I also remember that for the rest of the school day, while the teachers attempted to keep some normalcy going in the classroom, overall we just sat in horror and watched the news.

Please keep in your prayers those who have died for our freedom and our safety.

1 comment:

Cj said...

I was at a clinic waiting on Frank, he was in the middle of a pre-op health thingy for shoulder surgery.. the nurses started running around saying we were under attack.. we stopped at a diner for breakfast and watched then replay it.. and saw the second plane crash into the towers..Don't remember what I was wearing.. it was numbing, the train tracks over here was cleared of all trains for days afterwards and the water treatment place had blockcades up for weeks..