Some thoughts on 9/11

Everyone can remember where they were on 9/11. I have the awkwardness of having to say that I was in the donut shop when a lady opened the door and asked if there was a tv in there. “They’re running planes into the World Trade Center”. The person left and I would have 90 more seconds of the way life was before 9/11.

Back in my car, it was all over the radio although not much was yet known. I dropped Dalton off at school, and got to work about 8:40. I went to get the tv from Bill’s office and when I asked him how big the plane was, he said it was like a 747. I couldn’t believe that because I had been thinking about a small private plane. When we turned on the tv however, it was apparent, that it was a large jet, in fact two.

My coworkers and I stood there semi-shocked watching the smoke pour out. All of a sudden, the first tower began its plunge to the ground. There’s just no way this could happen. A moment later I said “It’s only a matter of time before the next tower falls” and about 20 minutes later my unwelcome prediction came true.

Sharlette called and said we should do something at the church. I went and there were a few people in the sanctuary. Several of the lower grade classes were brought in and Pastor explained what had taken place and attempted to calm any fears. I led a short, unsure of what to say prayer. The big screen was brought in and before long, the sanctuary was full of students witnessing history. Raymond and Pastor and I decided we would hold a prayer service that evening.

There was a small gathering at the evening service. I placed two signs in the yard that said “Special prayer service, this Sunday”. Pastor spoke, Raymond spoke and I prayed. That night I woke up and thought about all the people who had lost their lives. Sunday, I prayed my same prayer along with others who prayed for our leaders.

I had flown just two days before on Sep. 9th from Los Angeles to Dallas Love Field. In 2004 I also flew on Sep. 9th from Detroit to Atlanta to DFW.

Here are some things I have seen regarding 9/11:
• A boy who lost his dad, a fireman, several months later saying “he loved us very much”
• A video of firemen dragging hoses up the stairs as evacuees went down. That's very powerful.
• People clapping for dump trucks and bulldozers in the cleanup effort
• A tv cameraman, doing an interview on the street caught the first plane crashing into the tower
• In a tv special, one camera caught a US jet fighter called to the scene moments within the crashes, patrolling the skies. It was if he were saying "Where are they? Let me at 'em."

My thoughts were on:
• Those who lost loved ones that day
• The absolute terror that the people on the planes must have gone thru
• How we would never be the same
• How we must never forget

2002
Today I played golf with a friend. I did not go out of my way to observe 9/11, but I did remember. I remember asking my friend if today was his dad’s birthday. Yes, it was. My friend is a fireman, and although there were no words spoken about it, we both memorialized the event. We also talked about his having surgery in two days and why it was necessary. As it turned out, there were some major complications to the surgery and his family endured some very stressful times for many months.

2003
I remembered the day as soon as I woke. Dalton laid on the bed with me as we watched Good Morning America’s recount of 9/11. A ceremony at Ground Zero read the names of the victims. I appreciated my wife that day and brought flowers to her. I appreciated a friend and sent him an email telling him so. It rained today.

2004
Today is Saturday. I got up around 7:30 because I wanted to be awake and reading my bible at 7:46. Read from the book of Psalms, chapter 102, then watched some of the NY ceremony on tv as they read the names of the victims.

2005
Sunday. We sang happy birthday to Jim and Jerry at church. I spent the afternoon playing golf with my dad, and we had a great time with each other. Later, Sharlette and I watched three 9/11 specials on tv. The first re-lived most of the world trade center events with interviews from survivors. The second dealt with air force response to the events. The third and best program was about "Flight 93 - The Flight That Fought Back". It was a re-creation of the passengers of the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania and their heroic efforts. This was very intense and we can plainly see that they saved many lives while sacrificing their own.

2006
I'm diappointed in myself that I did not make an entry here.

2007
I wouldn't have remembered the day until I saw the flags on the fence at the end of the street. I did visit the donut shop this Tuesday, Sept. 11th at 8:45 am.

2008
The day must have slipped by without me making an entry. I can't imagine that I completely forgot, but I don't want to ever forget to write my thoughts down.

2009
I started thinking about this day a week before. I had made an appointment for the 11th. At the time, it was just the "11th". It didn't occur to me that it was September 11th. September 11th is not the "11th". It has been raining. Everyone is in a good mood. Our country is thinking about healthcare, but many people don't want the government involved. I met Jana's new boyfriend, Daniel today.