#2375 | Wednesday, September 11th 2002
My day began with an odd, uncomfortable feeling that "something" was terribly wrong. I woke my daughter and we proceeded to perform our usual "getting ready" rituals; her for school (senior year, high school) and me for work ( my 16th year as an ass't to the director of a special ed. school for emotionally disturbed students). As I walked the dog before leaving for work, I again had a sense of foreboding... but quickly put it aside when I looked at the time and realized that, for me, I was "behind" schedule. I told my daughter,Victoria, I was leaving for work and I'd see her later. As I walked down our walk to my car, I realized I hadn't given her a kiss goodbye, a fairly standard part of our daily ritual. I wanted to turn around but thought she'd think I was nuts and that my "sense of foreboding" was off the mark - what could possibly happen on this beautiful September morning? So I rationalized that my feelings were unfounded and drove to work. An hour or so later, a co-worker arrived, out of breath and told us in the office what she had just heard on the radio in her car. Our school day doesn't start until 9am; some word was beginning to travel through the building but no one was certain. Although classrooms have cable tv installed, at first no one thought to turn the tv on as by now students were starting to enter the school. As we all began to realize the enormity of what had happened and was still happening, we tried to access any of the tv sites on the web that broadcast live - no luck. I suddenly realized that my feeling of dread had been right - my soul/being/self KNEW at 6:30am as I left for work that something was terribly wrong in the universe... I had been right - just check out what time the planes of the attack left their respective airports! Today,one year later,(9/11/02) my daughter is 2 hours away at college on Long Island - I call her every morning to make sure she is awake... the only thing I can now do since I cannot kiss her goodbye in person... the reality of 9/11/01 will be present for the rest of my life. Later that day, the school staff were advised that one of our beloved staff members was found dead at home by her husband... she had been ill, no doctor or specialist had been able to figure out what was causing her illness... and now it was too late. She was a wonderful, beautiful teacher of young emotionally disturbed children... life is unfair... perhaps she left us that day so she could help those who were already on their way to their next existence understand that there is always hope, always a way to go on... Finally, at around 6pm, I received word that my husband's aunt Alice who had been an important part of my daughter's (free) child care for so long had died from her recently diagnosed emphysema and chronic pulmonary disease (and had also recently sunk into dementia so deep that she was seeing snowstorms in July). I'm also sure Alice was taken on September 11th so that those coming from the days' disasters had a warm, nurturing being to meet and tell them that everything would be ok and that those of us left behind would again find ways to be happy and live our lives as they would have wanted us to.

Victoria, if you ever read this, know your "mommy dearest" loves you... and will never forget the day I didn't follow my instincts and turn around to give you a kiss goodbye. Sue M-D

Susan | 52 | New Jersey

#2371 | Wednesday, September 11th 2002
On Tuesday, September 11, 2001 I was in school. I was in 10th grade and in my second period English class when I heard of what had happened. It was my new English teacher that said "a student in my 1st period class came in late and said he heard on the radio a plane hit the Twin Towers." I remember thinking it must of been an accident or something and the teacher was trying to use the computer to get more information on the internet, but the internet was down and wasn't working. I remember going to lunch and learning more about what had happened and then going on to another class 4th period. I remember the teacher crying because a friend of hers was in one of the towers. I remember that was when I learned it wasn't an accident, it was a terroist attack, something I never even thought about. I remember moving on to my 5th period Math class when I learned not just the WTC was hit but the Pentagon was also hit by an airplane. We did no work in any classes for the rest of the day, we just talked about what had happened. I had never lived through something like this or any war and didn't know what to expect in the coming weeks. I just wanted to go home but the day continued. Finally it was 3:00 time to go home. When I got home I was greeted by my mother and I right away went to the TV to see what was going on. After about an hour or two, I went outside with my friends. I live in New Jersey and I remember we rode our bikes up to this road where we saw the smoke from the WTC. It was a black cloud and I had never seen anything like it. I ran over some glass on my bike that day and I tried to call home for someone to come get me but all circuts were busy and I couldn't get through so I walked. I got home at about 6:00 and ate dinner. For the rest of the night we watched the TV. I remember every channel from ABC to MTV was just news about the WTC. I remember going to bed that night thinking about what I'd heard in school and on TV about going to war about more attacks and I remember thinking how 24 hours earlier we never thought we'd be going through this. I remember how that morning here in New Jersey it was sunny and warm about 80°. I remember heading off to the bus stop for the 5th or 6th day of school. Never did I think it would be a totally different world when I came home 6 hours later.
Ed | 16 | New Jersey

#2366 | Wednesday, September 11th 2002
I think that was not right to bring down the tradecenters just because
they don't like our FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!

Megan | 11 | New Jersey

#2340 | Wednesday, September 11th 2002
I was in school when my father picked me up. When we were going to the car I asked what happened. He did not answer. When I got home my Mom was crying, because my neighbor, Mr. Bill, worked at the # 1 World Trade Center and she wasn't sure if he was alive or dead. My Mom called his wife, Miss Rosie, to see if she heard from him, but she said, "As soon as I find out I will let you know." Miss Rosie called us back to say that he was okay and that he was trying to find a way home. We were happy. Before Mr. Bill came home I went on the computer and made him a card. He got home around 6:30 pm.


I found out about it from the news on television. Most of the channels had it on. All of the newspapers were writing about what happened that day. I have some pictures of what happened that day in my room on my walls. The next day at school our teachers were talking about it. They were helping us understand what had happened.


I thought it was terrible. Who did it and why did they do this bad thing to us? What did we do to deserve this? This is what starts wars in the world; to this day we are still trying to find Usama Bin Laden. All we know is that he's in a cave. Sepetmeber 11, 2001, he sent his people as passagers on airplanes to hit the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon. They were even trying to hit the White House or the State Capital but the people on that flight fought back and crashed in a field in PA. 9-11-01, that date was the emerency number 9-1-1.

WE REMEMBER ! ! ! ! ! !

Laura S.
R.W.B
6th grade


Laura | 12 | New Jersey

#2296 | Wednesday, September 11th 2002
I was at work. My boss was in a meeting. I got a call from the main office asking me did I hear what happened that a plane hit a building in NY. I said no and hung up. They called again shortly thereafter and said that a plane hit the second tower. I then turned on the radio and listened as the disaster was occuring. I typed a note in arial black, bold, size 48, landscape that read: "Terorist attack; plane hits tower one; plane hits tower two; plane hits Pentagon; towers collapse; plane crashed in Penn" and when into the office where the meeting was and taped the note to the wall. I could hear my boss saying, as I was leaving, "what does that say?" The meeting ended at this point and everyone gathered around the radio and listened. Even though I didn't know anyone that worked in the Twin Towers, worked at the Pentagon or anyone who was on United Airlines Flight 93 my heart and love goes out to all of the victims and their families. May God Bless America
Fedora | 46 | New Jersey

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