On a personal level, there are two things I remember most about the attacks on Tuesday, September 11, 2001:
1. Where I was working when the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center
2. What a beautiful day it was in Central Virginia
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We All Remember Where We Were
I was working as a consultant for SunTrust Bank in Richmond, Virginia.
My wife called me at the office.
The phones were ringing at every desk.
By the time we congregated around a small television in the cafeteria, the South Tower was in flames.
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Thirty-five minutes later, American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon.
The attack in Virginia occurred precisely 100 miles north of where we were located.
At 10:03 am, Flight 93 en route to Washington DC crashed in Shanksville, PA.
In light of the events, we were all sent home for the day.
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It was a Beautiful Day
Summers in Central Virginia are hazy, hot, and humid.
For three months, the heat index is near 100 by day and around 80 by night.
When the second week of September arrives, the humidity goes out to sea.
The sky turns blue again, and mornings are a treasure.
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9/11/01 was one of those beautiful early autumn days.
I wanted to spend the day outdoors.
And tragically, I got that wish.
So I washed the car.
And walked the dog.
And did yard work.
I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.
I felt helpless and worthless sitting in front of the television with the terrorist attacks replayed over and over.
Why were so many innocent people already dead?
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The Purpose of this Blog Post
I’m not here to tell you to live today like it could be your last.
You already know that.
Car accidents alone kill 40,000 Americans every year.
That’s one death every 13 minutes.
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But laundry needs to be done.
Dishes have to be rinsed.
Another email awaits at work.
Let’s be honest…
We rarely get the chance to live life without fear or responsibilities.
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So as we pass another Sept 11 Anniversary and you step outside, tell yourself…
It’s a Beautiful Day.
Look up at the clouds and smile.
That alone is something to treasure and give thanks to God.
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“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26)
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What is your personal experience of September 11th?
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Yes, I remember, Brent. I was not so close as you to the event but I think all Americans were immediately united. I had a quarterly project helping Coy Sawyer of the Christian 89Q radio station create a tabloid-like magazine for the station. We created the ads and local content and the rest was syndicated.
Coy came over, much like he had for the past five or more years on a quarterly basis and he rushed in and up the stairs from my downstairs office to the living room TV, saying something about a plane hitting a building. At that point, I think he got the impact much more than me because I thought it was an accident and he had been connected to media reports.
We worked on the project with Coy mainly watching the updates and me rushing up to see the next developments between editing. Immediately my connections to others throughout the nation in the career field started on the e-list wondering who was OK in the New York area.
The day is never forgotten and Coy and I now connect on Facebook each anniversary when the question is asked, where were you?
We do need to treasure each day. Thanks for the post!
Thank you Julie for sharing your story. How many days can we remember such details? This one day that will be remembered by us all and serve as a tragic reminder to treasure every moment we have in this world. Thank you again.
I have turned my personal 9-11 story into a simulation game to teach students about the importance of good communication skills. I have posted this simulation on the “Do Something” web site. It is a good thing to remember those who have gone before us as victims, and those who sacrificed their lives for others. Can we also find ways to use these ashes of 9-11 to create good?
http://www.dosomething.org/project/911-survival-simulation
Pat Parris
Thank you Pat for sharing. I applaud your initiative to teach others. I checked it out.