On September 11, 2001, my Hubby and I had been married all of ten days.
Back then, I was still a morning person, while hubby was (and still is) not. I was in the office around 7 am PDT. The phone rang and a friend said, “turn the TV on.” I quickly ran to the living room, grabbed the remote and could not believe my eyes.
As I turned the TV on the second plane was just heading into the second tower at the World Trade Centre. The first tower was burning. I was watching this unfold live. I remember being frozen not able to move, speak or react. If it weren’t for the “Live” caption on the screen I would have sworn I was watching a disaster movie.
When I was able to process what was happening and hear what the news anchors were saying, I woke up Hubby and said, “something really bad is happening.” An understatement, I know, but it was all I had at the time.
I remember us sitting there on the couch holding hands tightly and not speaking for quite awhile. We were trying to take in what was happening. I remember crying a lot. This wasn’t just about New York or the U.S., this was about the world.
I remember reading or hearing about how so many couples got married shortly after the events of 9/11. I know it felt so good that we were married at the time. God was definitely in us moving our date from June of the next year.
This past Friday evening on our National News, they featured a Toronto Pearson Airport traffic controller remembering what it was like that day, 15 years ago. He said it was all going normally and he was checking on a flight headed to Europe when he was passed a note that said that airspace over the United States was closed. They were to divert and land all planes. The controllers were told a plane went into the World Trade Centre.
The controller said they just thought it was a small plane and that it was an accident. However, when they found out a second plane had hit that could no longer be the explanation; something was seriously wrong. Once all the planes were landed safely, he said that it was an eerie feeling. The skies were never empty of planes as it is a busy airport.
That day went in slow motion for me and I am sure most other people were the same. The impact of this act of terrorism went from wide-scale with all the deaths and injuries, to small and close to home.
My sister-in-law’s boyfriend had been at a music festival in Kansas City and had to camp out at the airport for several days.
September 11th is my mother-in-law’s birthday and everyone in the family forgot to call her. We made up for it the day after but it was still very awkward saying it without referring to the incidents that changed the world. It has become easier to celebrate with her over the years, but my heart still remembers what happened 15 years ago.
Let’s hope none of us ever forgets.
Lydia!
Being Lydia! 
I’m a Canadian too, but I was 5 years old when 9/11 happened. I don’t even remember the day, which is kind of lame because people have these stories about that they were doing when it happened. Honestly, it’s hard to even image how it’d feel.
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I understand. I was five when President Kennedy was shot and I remember my parents talking about it but the only clear memory I have personally is a picture of John Jr. at the grave site and he was a year younger than me. It didn’t register that his Dad was the president and had died.
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I was on a commuter train when the conductor got on the speaker and told us what was happening. All trains wee forced to stop that day as well and I’ll never forget how helpless we felt. Because we only heard what was happening and not see it, it all seemed like a terrible joke. I’ll never forget it.
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Thank you for sharing. That would be scary for sure.
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I always think of the line in Alan Jackson’s song, “Where were you (when the world stopped turnin’)” that says, “Where were you when the world stopped turnin’
That September day?
Teachin’ a class full of innocent children…”
I was teaching my 4th grade class and saw a picture of the plane in the first tower. Bad, yes, but it wasn’t until the second one that the enormity of the situation began to hit. I looked out my classroom door and said to the teacher across from mine, “This is bad.” I had no idea how bad. For a few days, I couldn’t watch TV (which was nothing but coverage of the disaster, of course) without sobbing because it just got worse as it went on.
In September 2008 we took a long driving vacation through 28 states. One of our most memorable stops was the temporary memorial for the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania (the permanent one has since been built – I would love to return and visit it.).
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It definitely affected everyone in the world in some form. I remember one of my first thoughts was of a dear friend who owned a bridal shop in downtown New York. Not having ever been there I had no idea how close or far the shop was from the towers. Her Mom, who lives near Seattle, called later that day to tell me that Patty, her son and her uncle were all fine. What a relief!
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We won’t
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It is sad that we have to remember something like this, Derrick. But I know I will never forget the impact it had on me.
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I hope we never forget this but I also hope that something so tragic never happens in any part of the world ever again.
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Yes, I totally agree with you on that!
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