I was sitting in my office with the sun streaming through the window. It was about 3 pm in the afternoon.
I even remember what I was wearing - a taupe knee-length skirt and a navy sleeveless jacket (so you can see it really was hot!)with buttons down the front, pantihose and brown court shoes.
And I was on the phone to our IT department.
A guy called Lando was fixing something on my PC via a remote link.
Suddenly he said, "OH MY WORD, Marcia! Something's happened to the World Trade Centre"
Of course I thought he was joking - IT people have their own weird sense of humour, right?
But no.
I stayed on the phone with him while he told me that planes had flown into the WTC.
We were all shocked and horrified in the office but the true sense of what had happened didn't quite make sense until all the news came through.
Terrible, terrible times.
I was glued to Oprah over the next couple of months listening to all the stories of real people who had lost their families in this tragedy.
The guy at church yesterday (a visiting American pastor) pointed out that all this devastation was through one man's legacy.
Quite chilling when you think about how devastating it can be when impact goes the way of evil.
By the way, I was 27 at the time.
I've been reading accounts all over the internet about people still in school. Makes me feel old!
What were you doing on that day?
How did it impact you?
P.S. I wrote a piece for this book about D. It was released for 9/11 but the contributions are about ANY heroes in life.
Enjoy – it’s free http://gratitudebookproject.com/?page_id=155#
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Oh I remember clearly - I was sitting in the office, having just talked to my BFF whose twins were bron prem the day before and our accountant, on holiday saw it on TV and called the office.
ReplyDeleteMe too...like it was yesterday! I had been in NYC just two years before...and could not belive those building could have come down.
ReplyDeleteSuch a sad, sad day.
10 Years ago I was sitting at home, unemployed. When all of a sudden, the first images on television (CNN) broadcasted on the screen.
ReplyDeleteI then got a call from my boyfriend (now husband) who asked if I hear what happened, hearing the distress in his voice was terrible. I told him I just saw the first images on the television. They told me to continue watching, as they will call me for updates from work. Then other people I knew also started calling me for updates as they were at work and me unemployed at home, able to watch television and give updates.
As the day progressed and after we saw the second plane hit the second building, it became night. Everyone was talking about it. My boyfriend came that night to me (he was working 50k from where I lived that time) and spent the night with me. We were all traumatized.
Such a sad day.
At the time my husband and I and our one year old son were living on my parents property in their Granny Flat. I actually had no idea what was happening as we (my son and I) had been playing outside and we were taking walks around the block etc. I do remember that the weather was lovely (I'd had a day off from work) and that it was one of the first days when it was actually walm enough to be outside.
ReplyDeleteAt about 3pm we went into my parents house just to say hello, and they were glued to the TV. Stunned. I didn't know all the details but somehow I just knew that nothing would ever be the same again.
Those people are making me feel old too...
ReplyDeleteI was teaching that day...in New Jersey...a few miles from NYC.
I wrote about it.
I was 16 years old, a sophmore in high school. I was living in Arizona so there was about a 3 hour time difference. I walked to my bus stop and the kids there asked me if I heard about the plane crashing into the WTC. I had no clue about what they were talking about. We listened to the news on the bus. While I was getting off the bus the second plane hit. That is when it dawned on all of us that this was not an accident.
ReplyDeleteAll day in every class the news was on and no work was done. Everyone was walking like they were in a trance.
After school I had to go to work. I would at Sears and the entire store was empty. We all went to the electronics department to keep an eye on the news.
So interesting you still remember what you were wearing. :) And I read lots of posts about people sitting in so-and-so class, too. I think it may be a blessing to have been a bit older to be able to process everything that was happening...
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised it was such a global event.
ReplyDeleteP.S.
Who was your visiting pastor? My Uncle just left SA.
Interesting to hear that people outside the U.S. remember it as clearly as we do. And yes, those heart-wrenching stories were hard to look away from...they still are, in fact.
ReplyDeleteI was in college, but going to work for the morning. I didn't have the tv or radio on, so I didn't know until I got in my car to go to work and heard on the radio. I was watching at work when the second plane hit. Craziness.
I remember what I was wearing too...a purple patchwork-print skirt (my sister's!) and a white top.
I just got home from work and couldn't believe what I was seeing. We watched the documentaries on Nat Geo this weekend and it is still horrifying...those people jumping to their death still haunts me.
ReplyDeleteI was in Matric that year, was studying for Biology...
ReplyDeleteI do not like to remember that year or month, my grandfather passed away on the 28th of September, on my Matric farewell evening :'( So I just kind of block it out...