I'll never forget
The day began like every other normal Tuesday that year. I woke up early and got ready to leave to take my sister to her 8:00 a.m (CST) sewing class. The rest of my day was to be full of driving around to different homes teaching violin lessons.
I was having trouble concentrating on the tasks at hand, though, for although today was just another normal Tuesday, it wasn't really a normal Tuesday. It was my future husband's 21st birthday... his very first birthday to celebrate since we had begun courting. And I couldn't be there to celebrate it with him because Jesse had left three weeks before to travel 1200 miles away toVirginia Patrick Henry College
For the last three weeks, almost every waking thought had been about Jesse. Oh, how I missed him. Oh, how I wished I could just see him face-to-face. Oh, how I missed looking into his eyes and telling him I loved him!
But, I had to be strong. I had to. What else was there to do? Besides, in a few more weeks, we were going to visit him. I was counting down the days!
Despite these mental distractions, life had to go on.
My younger sister and I arrived at the little sewing machine shop and I stayed around until8:45 a.m. (CST) when I was supposed to leave to teach the first violin lesson of that day. We were in a room at the back of the shop and I had noticed that for the past 20 minutes some of the employees were acting rather strange.
I got up to leave and on my way out, I glanced into the open doorway of the room next to the room we were in and I noticed all the employees were in there watching TV. After I got into my car and started pulling away, it dawned on me that there were no customers at the shop and there were no employees running the shop. All the employees were glued to the TV. I thought this seemed a bit strange and then it hit me...
Something must be wrong.
It was around8:50 a.m. (CST) at this point. I flipped on the radio in my car and my heart skipped a beat. It was sheer panic on the radio. I couldn't make out what was going on but whatever it was, I knew it was something bad. Really bad.
Nervously, I called my mom. "What is going on???" I quickly pleaded when she answered. She didn't know a whole lot at that point - a plane, maybe two planes, had hit theWorld Trade Center
My thoughts were a jumbled mess. We're at war! Who did this? Is this an act of terrorists or was this done by another country? Aren't there thousands of people who work at theWorld Trade Center
I turned on the radio again and tried to make sense of what was happening. Everything was mass pandemonium. At that point, it seemed anything could happen. They started talking about these other unaccounted-for planes and other possible targets. I knew God was in control but why did this have to happen now, today, on Jesse's birthday, when he was 1200 miles away? I missed him so badly.
All I wanted to do was go home at this point. I just wanted to be with my family. I just wanted to be in front of a TV so I could see what was going on. Maybe seeing it would help me feel better about things, I thought.
For some reason, though, I didn't go home. Instead, I went and taught all the lessons. I'm still not sure why.
After the first lesson, Jesse called me on my cell phone. He was panicked. They couldn't get any TV reception where he was and all sorts of rumors were coming in. Their school was nearCamp David and near D.C. and with so many planes seemingly unaccounted for still, they thought they could be right in the line of disaster.
What could I say to him? I felt so far away, so alone, so helpless. I tried to stay calm, tried to give him any pieces of good news I heard, but there really wasn't much to share. The news just kept getting worse.
The rest of the day is somewhat a blur. I somehow made it through all the lessons I was to teach and finally got home in the middle of the afternoon. By that time, the worst of things were over and there wasn't much new to cover on TV.
I remember that the reporters kept talking about these huge triage centers which were set up for all the hundreds of people they were going to pull out of the wreckage. I kept waiting to hear that they had pulled someone out. I just knew there had to be big pockets of hundreds of survivors stuck in the rubble somewhere. What no one could grasp at that point was that there weren't any survivors.
We were in shock. I wondered for days afterwards if we were going to wake up to another whole day of attacks. I hated being 1200 miles away from Jesse without any way of quickly getting to him if something happened to him. There were no flights to catch and even if any flights were in operation, who would want to fly into D.C.?
We were in shock, yes, and yet everyone was so united. I remember going to the grocery store and almost everyone was dressed in patriotic colors. You would have thought it was the Fourth of July. Flags were everywhere. People were donating blood, money, supplies. There were special prayer meetings and candlelight vigils. Churches were full and people were thinking about death, dying, and their eternal destiny. Our whole nation was rallying around each other in unity and it was a beautiful sight to behold.
On that day, we each experienced loss of some sort. For me, it was the resulting cancellation of our planned October trip to visit Jesse. My dad was wise to not want us to fly into D.C. just a few weeks after the attacks, but it was heartbreaking to not get to see Jesse. I thought that being separated from him for 60 days was going to be hard enough. Now I had to wait to see him again until Thanksgiving!
And yet, inspite of the heartache of separation and the heartbreak of a canceled trip, I couldn't help but think how blessed I was. How many people had suffered excruciating losses on September 11 and would never again see their loved one on this earth and here I was agonizing that I had to wait two more months until I could see my loved one again. Compared to them, I had so much to be thankful for.
Sometimes, in the midst of the whirlwind of life, something happens which causes all of the normal hurrying and scurrying to halt, the usual daily pressing matters to blur, and the most important things to come into focus.
September 11, 2001 was one of those days.
I'll never forget.
I was having trouble concentrating on the tasks at hand, though, for although today was just another normal Tuesday, it wasn't really a normal Tuesday. It was my future husband's 21st birthday... his very first birthday to celebrate since we had begun courting. And I couldn't be there to celebrate it with him because Jesse had left three weeks before to travel 1200 miles away to
For the last three weeks, almost every waking thought had been about Jesse. Oh, how I missed him. Oh, how I wished I could just see him face-to-face. Oh, how I missed looking into his eyes and telling him I loved him!
But, I had to be strong. I had to. What else was there to do? Besides, in a few more weeks, we were going to visit him. I was counting down the days!
Despite these mental distractions, life had to go on.
My younger sister and I arrived at the little sewing machine shop and I stayed around until
I got up to leave and on my way out, I glanced into the open doorway of the room next to the room we were in and I noticed all the employees were in there watching TV. After I got into my car and started pulling away, it dawned on me that there were no customers at the shop and there were no employees running the shop. All the employees were glued to the TV. I thought this seemed a bit strange and then it hit me...
Something must be wrong.
It was around
Nervously, I called my mom. "What is going on???" I quickly pleaded when she answered. She didn't know a whole lot at that point - a plane, maybe two planes, had hit the
My thoughts were a jumbled mess. We're at war! Who did this? Is this an act of terrorists or was this done by another country? Aren't there thousands of people who work at the
I turned on the radio again and tried to make sense of what was happening. Everything was mass pandemonium. At that point, it seemed anything could happen. They started talking about these other unaccounted-for planes and other possible targets. I knew God was in control but why did this have to happen now, today, on Jesse's birthday, when he was 1200 miles away? I missed him so badly.
All I wanted to do was go home at this point. I just wanted to be with my family. I just wanted to be in front of a TV so I could see what was going on. Maybe seeing it would help me feel better about things, I thought.
For some reason, though, I didn't go home. Instead, I went and taught all the lessons. I'm still not sure why.
After the first lesson, Jesse called me on my cell phone. He was panicked. They couldn't get any TV reception where he was and all sorts of rumors were coming in. Their school was near
What could I say to him? I felt so far away, so alone, so helpless. I tried to stay calm, tried to give him any pieces of good news I heard, but there really wasn't much to share. The news just kept getting worse.
The rest of the day is somewhat a blur. I somehow made it through all the lessons I was to teach and finally got home in the middle of the afternoon. By that time, the worst of things were over and there wasn't much new to cover on TV.
I remember that the reporters kept talking about these huge triage centers which were set up for all the hundreds of people they were going to pull out of the wreckage. I kept waiting to hear that they had pulled someone out. I just knew there had to be big pockets of hundreds of survivors stuck in the rubble somewhere. What no one could grasp at that point was that there weren't any survivors.
We were in shock. I wondered for days afterwards if we were going to wake up to another whole day of attacks. I hated being 1200 miles away from Jesse without any way of quickly getting to him if something happened to him. There were no flights to catch and even if any flights were in operation, who would want to fly into D.C.?
We were in shock, yes, and yet everyone was so united. I remember going to the grocery store and almost everyone was dressed in patriotic colors. You would have thought it was the Fourth of July. Flags were everywhere. People were donating blood, money, supplies. There were special prayer meetings and candlelight vigils. Churches were full and people were thinking about death, dying, and their eternal destiny. Our whole nation was rallying around each other in unity and it was a beautiful sight to behold.
On that day, we each experienced loss of some sort. For me, it was the resulting cancellation of our planned October trip to visit Jesse. My dad was wise to not want us to fly into D.C. just a few weeks after the attacks, but it was heartbreaking to not get to see Jesse. I thought that being separated from him for 60 days was going to be hard enough. Now I had to wait to see him again until Thanksgiving!
And yet, inspite of the heartache of separation and the heartbreak of a canceled trip, I couldn't help but think how blessed I was. How many people had suffered excruciating losses on September 11 and would never again see their loved one on this earth and here I was agonizing that I had to wait two more months until I could see my loved one again. Compared to them, I had so much to be thankful for.
Sometimes, in the midst of the whirlwind of life, something happens which causes all of the normal hurrying and scurrying to halt, the usual daily pressing matters to blur, and the most important things to come into focus.
I'll never forget.
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Related: Since
Originally posted September 9, 2006
posted by Crystal Paine at 10:02 AM
14 Comments:
September 11th was a tragic day which the world will never forget. Condolences to the American public, to the victims, and to the families of those who were lost. Rest in Peace.
From Lorna, from across the pond.
Seems strange that today is a Tuesday-Septemeber 11.
I have a nehew who was born on a Tuesday September 11 but back in 1973!!
Crystal,
This really is off subject, but I came across this quote today and thought of you and being a channel of blessing. Whilst it pokes fun, there is much truth in claiming every minute of our day for Christ.
"So far today, God, I've done all right. I haven't gossiped, I haven't lost my temper, haven't been grumpy, nasty or selfish. But in a few minutes I'm going to get out of bed; and from then on, I'm going to need a lot of your help!"
Thanks also for the ebook information. I am going to review it this afternoon. Erica
Today is also my husband Blake's birthday! That awful day was his 18th birthday. He says he became very thankful and unselfish on a day that should have been all about him. That was before he and I met. I can only imagine how you felt being away from Jesse that day.
words cant express what I want to say
your post really touched me
I love how your post gave me a different look as to how things were that day
I LOVE how you describe how people everywhere united
i dont feel worthy enough to join you
Im so far away
however in a way of extending my hand in just a small way really I have paid a tribute on my blog
I wont ever forget either even though I am here
my thoughts love prayers and support to all those effected now and always
Jen
Crystal,
I will always remember that I was a 30 year old mother of two, but when my country was attacked, I needed to hear my Daddy's voice. I called him from work to reassure me that everything would eventually be alright. I needed his reassurance so that I could have something to offer to the students (adults, all) at the vocational school where I worked and to my children. I will always treasure the thought that he was there when I needed him, especially now that he has gone home to heaven. I still have my mother, but now I know I really am grown-up because I don't have him to lean on. Thank God, I will never be Fatherless.
Also, thanks to Lorna for her kind expression of sympathy. The support of the other nations that are our allies has always meant so much to me, too. It touches me in particular that Canada took the risk of allowing so many planes to be re-routed to their airports, putting themselves in danger to stand with us. I will always be grateful for that.
Praise God for his continuing protection for our nation. We have faced many challenges and threats in the past 6 years, and will, no doubt, face many more. However, no thinking person can deny that God has been guiding the many who work so tirelessly to ensure the security of our nation. It is by His grace that the recent terror plots have been discovered and stopped. Praise Him again and again.
Let's also not forget to pray for the many who are offering their lives daily to protect us and our families.
Melinda
At least here in Chicago, the weather is exactly the same today as it was on that day in 2001.
I will never forget either, which is a good thing. Despite that day's tragedy, it created a sense of urgency in so many people. Life is short and must be tenderly cherished... even on a regular-old Tuesday.
Beautiful tribute Crystal.
Oh, & Happy Birthday Jesse!
Sept. 11 was my first day of high school. I was terrified to attend a brand new school with new people, and then this. It was a day I will never forget.
These posts have brought me to tears once again. I am very touched today by the words written here on this blog. We live in Maryland. Our family's good, good friend was working near the Pentagon on September 11. He was actually "supposed" to be at the Pentagon, but a meeting took him elsewhere. We had to wait two or three days to hear from him. We left numerous messages on his cell phone, but he could not respond. I will never forget when our phone finally rang and we heard his voice!! I burst into tears of joy. This young man had the "job" of helping look for body parts. Can you imagine that?
He is a strong Christian, and the only way he got through that job was through God's help. I will not share the details of the things he shared and the things he saw. Our family made up a basket of "goodies" and left it at his apartment door with a note of thanks for his service, telling him he was "our hero." We will never forget all of our brave heroes!!
Carla
In Australia, I was in labour with my first daughter who is turning 6 today. I found out on the tv in the hospital (I was already admitted) when I woke at 3am when my waters broke but didn't really register anything until after the birth 7hrs later. It's still a bit strange for me now as even though I know it happened, it's hard to believe. A bit like waking up from a coma I guess to find out the world has changed but not having been there to experience it! Such a sad day for so many, but in the hospital I was in also so happy with many babies born amidst all the worry from adults watching the world change in an instant!
blessings on you all,
Rebekah
in Australia
Wonderful tribute, Crystal.
I was pregnant with my 2nd child and was at a dr. appt that morning and didn't even know it happened for several hours.
My children and I delivered goodies to a local volunteer firehouse this a.m. The firefighters let them get in the trucks and talked with them about all kinds of stuf, and gave them each a plastic firehat/badge. It was wonderful to watch. But, I couldn't help but think of my dh who is in Iraq still fighting this war that began on that day. HE is our hero!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We love him and miss him so much. But, this is what God called us to for this moment in our family's lives. We are glad that His strength accounts for our every weakness during this time. And count it a privilege to serve this great country.
Dear Crystal,
My family once watched a film
where two guys were filming a documentery of a fire station and they were there and filmed it all.
Sept. 11 is my wedding anniversary...9 years this year! While I have the utmost in sympathy for the families of the fallen, dh and I will choose to celebrate love, not tragedy on this day.
On that dreadful day I had the pleasure of babysitting my then (3 and 5 year old ) grandchildren. They were in the sunroom playing together so nicely and I had the tv on in the kitchen. They played for almost 2 hours without a single squabble....what a contrast to the horrors that were happening in our nation!! We were able to shield them from it all.....they were to young to keep seeing those images over and over again. I will always remember constantly praying for the families of those who died and were missing, the rescuers and
our leaders.....hopefully we will never be the same again...We are here for a reason....Pam, South Bend
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