I typically leave today as it is. 9-11. It, for me is a day to quietly reflect on and remember. But today in 2013 I feel the need to get my thoughts down on "paper". Being a child during the end of the Vietnam Conflict, as it was so carefully referred to then. I remember the sites of soldiers, tanks and fighting on the evening news. I remember mostly how ravaged and torn our soldiers looked and there was always a palpable heavy-ness in the air. I was pretty little then but still hold memories. Start 9-11-2001. Any normal day. I was preparing to head off to work. Having my cup of tea-as I was 7 months pregnant with our now almost 12 year old son, and couldn't drink coffee, living in our little mountain cabin waiting for a morning call from my Husband who was at his new job in another town that we were preparing to move to. Our little cabin had been on the market for just 4 days. My eagerly awaited phone call came in .... first words from my Husbands mouth were "Did you hear about the plane that hit the Twin Towers?" I had to assimilate what he said. "What are you talking about?" I questioned, not believing what he had said. He told me to turn on the news. I did. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing. I sat down with my Husband still on the line and watched in stunned silence......and then dumbfounded and not believing what I was seeing, blinking and realizing that I was in fact seeing yet another plane headed for the other Tower. I blurted into the phone - "There's another plane!!" It was my husbands turn to not believe his ears. In seeing the second plane, it was obvious this was no accident. That was really all we said. We hung up with each other. Not long afterwords my Sister called, stunned, scared, holding onto amazed disbelief at the events of the morning. How could this be happening?? Was the resounding question that remained answer-less. What do we do now? Was the next question that hung in the air. Watch and wait seemed to be the answer. We were so stunned at the events that I don't remember either of us saying much but knowing each other was on the other end of the line helped and maybe gave us some of the solid ground we were seeking. I did end up making 2 more calls before leaving for work that day. One to my Mother-in-law, who had no idea of the recent events of the morning. The other to my Mom. Did Daddy have to go? Because we knew there would be a call out for all Military personnel. My Dad had retired from his service in the Air Force just a few short weeks before this horrific chain of events. The answer was, that there had been no immediate call but that they didn't know for sure what was going to happen. So we watched and waited. The TV remained on 24-7 at home and at work. The days were surreal and dream-like. The day to day activities seemed unreal and mechanical and all of us hung onto any and every bit information we could gain from the news and otherwise. My Sister and I as well as my Mom waited anxiously for any news that the retirement papers for my Dad would be retracted-they weren't but we didn't have an answer in concrete for quite some time. I left my position in our little mountain town and went to live in our new town with my Husband about a month later. Our cabin still hadn't sold as the bottom to the real estate market and every other market had fallen
out. The anticipation and wonderment of the new life growing in my belly held my attentions constantly. I was excited and eager to meet my son but scared to bring him into a world that before 9-11 seemed almost predictable but now after that fateful day I could hold no promises for this little boy. As time does -it marched on and we were soon welcoming our son into this world. A most wonderful day. All of this in the midst of talk of military action in the middle east. Now my son can't get enough of the special documentary's that revolve around 9-11 and its events. That was my 9-11 day. (And a little after)
