Today I spent time with my family. I went for a run (much shorter than Andy's), and then we hopped in the car, picked up Jennie and Charlotte, and headed home to CT.
I wasn't really thinking too much about what the date is. Andy mentioned it in the car, and Mom brought it up when we were on the beach. She said that she woke up remembering the day. She and Dad were in the car at going tag sailing, and she glanced at the clock. It was 8:47, the time that the first plane hit one of the towers. It was a sad and eerie thing to notice.
I feel like I should have been more conscious of today. I went about my day not really thinking about the date. It feels strange not to be too aware of it. I will never forget that day, and the horror I saw as I watched the details on the t.v. screen. I grew up hearing many adults telling me that they knew exactly what they were doing when they heard that J.F.K. was shot. One of those moments seared into your brain that you will never forget. 9/11 was one of those moments for me.
I'll never forget. I was driving from my apartment in Waltham to my gym. I was flipping through the radio stations and came across Howard Stern. But his voice was strange, and he wasn't being a sarcastic asshole. He said something along the lines of , "This kind of thing makes you just want to go home and hug your kid". Then of course I didn't know what was happening, and they were describing their shock, but not giving any details. I frantically switched around the radio stations until I heard that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center tower. I decided that I should turn around and go home. I did stop along the way to tell my boss at the flower shop what had happened. (We had this satellite radio system that was on a loop, and not really connected to the outside world). I rushed home and turned on the t.v. and spoke to my mom on the phone. All I could think of was, get those people out of there. The building is going to collapse. It was horrifying.
The news trickled in. And I found out that there had been a plane that went down in Pennsylvania, and that Washington had been hit too. I felt this terrible feeling of doom. Wondering if Boston would be hit as well. For the next few days I watched t.v. and listened to the radio. Along with our whole nation, hoping that they would find more survivors.
God what a horrible day. I swore I would never forget. And in a way, I felt like I did a little today. I have a strange sense of guilt about that. Maybe it didn't cross my mind right away because it was Saturday. Maybe because we didn't have a moment of silence at school. Maybe because it is sometimes healthy to not remember horrible anniversaries. But throughout the day it was mentioned by Andy, and Mom, and I had some reflective moments of sadness.
I can't help but think of Rebecca's Aunt Ellie. Who lived in the neighborhood and saw people die right before her eyes. I can't help but think of the countless stories that were shared over the weeks and months after September 11th. Indeed, a sad, sad time.
And of course our conversations led to discussions of the radical Christian leader down in Florida who wanted to have a Koran burning party. We also discussed the Islamic Community Center (or some people would call it a Mosque) that has plans to be built a few blocks from Ground Zero. I for one feel like it would be like putting a JCC or a YMCA there. Maybe it could open up people's minds about Muslims. I just hope that if this community center is built where it is planned, that it can be viewed as a peaceful place that brings people together.
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