A day to remember

September 11th, 2001 was one of those life changing events that everyone always asks themselves where they were when they heard about it. I was at work, supervising a call center. My mother called me and said that a plane had crashed against the World Trace Center. Being overwhelmed with work, I heard what she said but I didn’t listen. I ended the call and continued to work, but her words kept roaming in my busy brain. I pulled up the internet and saw the news and then it hit me. A plane had crashed against the World Trace Center! …and as I was watching the live news feed the second plane hit the other tower.

My eyes opened in disbelief. The phones in the call center got quiet or so it seemed. Then anxiety started rising. I have family in New York and there were talks of war, and I have family in the military. My first instinct was to find out where everyone close to my heart was, regardless if they lived or not in New York. I called my mother back and asked her to try to ensure our loved ones in the area where ok as I needed to continue to work.

The buildings near my job were evacuated. After the Pentagon was hit, people were afraid of what other federal facilities would be targets. Our office was inside a main TV channel and near a main federal building. Every office around us was evacuated but us. My staff was complaining. I was too busy watching the news perplexed to what was happening. A friend of mine and I walked to a nearby restaurant for lunch. The streets were empty. At the restaurant the news were playing on a tv set. We ate what we could and headed back to work.

I remember that I went to bed late that night. I could not unglued my eyes of the television with everything that was happening. I was hoping that more people would be found alive, but that didn’t happen. During the course of the years, on this day, I’ve always tuned in for the memorial ceremony online. I’ve watch every documentary and movie that I have been able to get my hands on. I didn’t lose anyone on that tragic day, but I think America lost the sense of safety that was taken for granted.

Looking back our lives have changed forever. We were awaken to the fact that we need to embrace life one day at a time because tomorrow is never promised to us. Let’s be grateful for the things that we have enjoyed in the last 10 years. Enjoy the promised of God. Let’s embrace our loved ones and remember those who lost their own and can’t embrace theirs today.

Let’s also remember those who are fighting for our freedom and safety and giving their lives every day. They are also not home to embrace or be embraced in a day like today.

Let’s place out trust in our Lord Almighty for comfort, peace and joy

Be blessed