OT: Recollections of 9-11 - Long
September 11, 2001 was a beautiful day, the sky was bright blue and I remember thinking as I walked Dillinger that morning, what a great day to take a mental health day, but since March I had been dealing with my Mom's declining health, she was now being shuttled in the mornings by my cousin, and I would leave work at 4:00 p.m. so I could pick her up at the dialysis center, where she was being trained for peritoneal dialysis, as well as undergoing traditional dialysis, in addition to that, work had been crazy busy since late 2000 and my bosses had been very good to me, allowing me to do what I needed to help my Mom, so calling in an unplanned day was not an option, and so I left home to catch my express bus into Manhattan around 8:05 a.m., book and Sony walkman in hand, caught my bus, and we made our usual trek, through rush hour traffic, down Woodhaven Blvd. onto the Long Island Expressway, just an ordinary workday. I was reading my book, listening to a local, classic rock station on my walkman as we headed into the city, we were in the Express bus lane on the approach to the Midtown tunnel, when the DJ broke in and announced, “a small, possibly, a twin engine plane, ha**** the World Trade Center", I remember saying, loud enough for everyone in close proximity to me to hear, what the heck did he just say, and I repeated it for everyone; I and my fellow passengers looked in a southerly direction from where we sat on that roadway and what we saw that day is forever etched in my mind. . .
There was a spreading plume of dark black and grey smoke and you could see the flames of what you knew was a big fire and why I say you knew it was a big fire, was that we were at least 7 miles away from downtown Manhattan, where all hell had broken lose. I remember thinking how odd that a small plane would be anywhere near the towers, that the pilot must have suffered a heart attack or something had gone terribly wrong, because there just was no way a plane should be flying that low, or close to the Trade Center, and as I said earlier, it was a bright and clear day, so not like he was lost. My next thoughts turned to the first attack on those buildings, as in 1993 I was an employee in a good size law firm that occupied 6 floors in 1 WTC and had worked there from 1988 until 1996, though at the time of the first attack, I was working 2nd shift and had actually been home watching television when they broke in that time to tell us that there had been a transformer explosion, and I watched as some of my co-workers came out of the building that time, with soot and fear on their faces, even before they spoke the word bomb, I knew that's what it was; and for the month following, while we were set up in temporary offices throughout the City, a part of me always believed that one day they would be back to finish what they had no accomplished on February 26, 1993, that kind of hate knows no bounds and it played a part in my eventual departure from that firm. So it was natural that my thoughts went there and while my suspicions were raised, I hoped otherwise.
Eventually, we made our way through the tunnel and reception on a walkman, in a tunnel, does not happen, but as we came out the other side, the radio announcer stated that either debris from the plane that hit the tower, or possibly another plane had gone into the 2nd tower, and it was at that point I knew that the terrorists were back, and my thoughts turned to what awaited us, as we were turning onto 34th Street, would they go after the Empire State Building? Somehow, we all maintained calm, or perhaps it was just shock and disbelief, our minds not accepting of what was going on, but we all stayed on the bus and continued to our various destinations. I don’t remember the conversations that went on with my fellow passengers, I believe for the most part, we were just processing everything that was happening, and information was sketchy at that point, however, I do remember all of us wishing one another safe passage as each of us got off at our respective stops and when I got off at my stop, on 51st and 6th Avenue, which is right by Rockefeller Center, I remember seeing the stunned look on people’s faces, as well as folks standing looking at the news tickers on the side of the building, across from Radio City Hall on 6th Avenue, many had tears streaming down their faces, as it became evident that we were once again in a City under attack.
One of the things I vividly recall from that day, was the faces of those who were coming up out of the subway, as those underground were unaware of the world that awaited them above, seeing them come face to face with the reality that we above ground had already been aware of for the past 30 minutes, and seeing their expressions change as awarenes**** them. Oh, and the sirens, so many police and emergency vehicles rushing downtown, even today, when I hear sirens, I get this feeling of dread inside.
I made my way to my office building on 5th Avenue and 53rd Street and when I arrived there was a line to get into the building, as the doors were suddenly manned by security, which was how quickly things were changing, and no one could enter the building without producing proof of who they were and stating what their business was, within minutes of the attack on the innocent people of New York City, the world as we knew it had changed. I got into the elevator and went up to my desk, where I kept a 5 inch black and white portable television in a drawer for those nights I worked overtime on some deal or another, I pulled it out, turned it on and a group of us congregated around my desk listening for what information was available and it was changing constantly, the President came on and made his speech. My, now, ex-husband, called me, telling me that there were more planes out there and I needed to get out of the City, to which I replied that unless I had wings and could fly off the island of Manhattan, I was basically stuck where I was, because at this point Mayor Giuliani had ordered all bridges, tunnels, subways and roadways into Manhattan closed.
Some of the attorneys in the office had been on a conference call and were carrying on without really knowing what was going on, other than from emails being received; for the rest of us, there was no way to get anything done, we watched and listened to the constantly changing reports of things going on downtown and elsewhere, when a short while after the President spoke, the reporters announced that they had received word that the Pentagon had been hit, and they started showing pictures of a similar nature to what was happening in New York, at this point I turned to my co-workers and said, boy have we and gotten caught with our pants down . . .
We really did not know what to do next, you didn't want to see and hear what you were seeing and hearing, it was surreal, like something out of one of those summer blockbuster movie. The only way to get information was to stay put, and even the information being reported was constantly changing and being updated. At one point a firm wide email came out telling us that the televisions in our conference center were available for us, so some wandered off to the conference area. I don’t believe anyone attempted to leave the offices, in part it was the fact that the City was in lock down mode.
On many levels it felt as though time was standing still, and then we watched as the first of the two towers came down. One of my co-workers, an attorney I had worked with previously at 1 WTC, was at my ledge, her and I locked eyes and I am sure we mirrored one another’s faces, we had just witnessed something that was beyond our imagination and while we never said a word to one another, I know my thoughts were on all the people we had known at our previous firm, as well as knowing that the WTC was like a City unto itself, I silently prayed that everyone made it out safely, even as their building still stood. My mind and heart hurt for those I knew had already perished. It was a horrible moment realizing the devastation and loss unfolding and wondering what was coming next. I knew that if one building came down, the timer was ticking and it was a just a matter of time before the other one came down as well, but, I also hoped I was wrong in that feeling and prayed that was not going to be the case, however, a short time later, that is exactly what happened and I think it was at this point I finally cried. It was somewhere in there that they announced about Flight 93 going down in a field in Pennsylvania, more prayers said and hoping there would be no more such news. I truly hoped, from what I knew, having worked in those buildings and due to the hour chosen by the hijackers, there would be less casualties then media was talking about and hoping that more got out then got caught by the collapse.
As an aside here, one of the things that has always been in my mind is how things in life work, you see the first bombing I worked 2nd shift and was not there when that occurred and here it was 8 years later and I no longer worked there, but had I, it was my habit to be at work at 8:40 in the morning, as I would go to our cafeteria on the 57th floor and have breakfast and talk with other co-workers who also would get to work early and then meander to my desk about 9:20, as my work day normally was 9:30 to 5:30. . .
The overwhelming shock and not knowing what to do next, made me want a cigarette, as back then I was still a smoker and it occurred to me that I had not had stopped to get breakfast, not even coffee and it was close to 11 a.m. at this point, so I went downstairs to have a smoke and buy a cup of coffee from the coffee cart and it was there I ran into a group of my co-workers, who had gone downstairs to try and clear their heads, they had heard that the bridges and tunnels were being reopened so people could leave the city and decided that a group of us should try and walk across the 59th Street Bridge, as some had relatives and people who would come to get them and/or find other ways to get home. I decided to go with them and went upstairs, told my bosses that I was leaving and met up with the group downstairs and we headed for the bridge. It was a long walk, more because of the amount of people headed there and took us a good 45 minutes to get there, some of that time was spent talking about how could this have happened, about the magnitude of this tragic day and whether or not we’d be hearing about more such attacks, some it spent in silent reflection and, while I speak about my thoughts here, I don't think I was alone in wondering about all those people downtown and what they were going through and those that would never be going home.
We made our way and I wound up separated from my co-workers, as the shoes I was wearing were not walking shoes and I was slowing down some, when I got to the bridge, there was a crush of both people walking and cars driving across that bridge, yet everyone was orderly, looking out for one another, about half way over it, I was on the lower roadway, so you can't see the sky unless you are at the outer edges, we heard a plane, my heart dropped and I know others were feeling similarly, as people started to scream "a plane, a plane" and while no one ran and openly panicked, it was nerve wracking until some people, who had looked up from the outskirts of the bridge, reassured everyone that it a fighter piloted jet and we all, collectively, sighed a sigh of relief. I made it across the bridge and continued, on to where my car was, as the night before I had car troubles and dropped it off at a shop in Greenpoint. Along the way I tried making phone calls from my cell phone, it was absolutely useless and that is why I shall always have a landline, I waited at one point to use a pay phone, there were 20 people, maybe more, in line, each took their turn and then handed it over to the next person, everyone being considerate of one another's need to let someone know how and where they were, I just wanted my daughter, who had gone into premature labor the night before, to know I was ok. I got to the shop, got in my car and drove to my best friend’s house, who was so happy to see me when I got there, you see she had forgotten I no longer worked in 1 WTC and was frantically trying to find me, until she thought to call my daughter who told her that I had not worked there in over 4 years. We sat together watching the news, by that point they were talking about thousands of casualties.
After awhile I left to get my Mom, and as I drove to pick her up, I remember the acrid smell from the fires in downtown Manhattan had already drifted the 9 or so miles to Queens and Woodhaven Boulevards and there was a smoky haze in the air. After spending time with my Mom, I eventually went home to take care of Dillinger and found out that work would not be open the next day (I think we were closed for the remainder of the week) and so for the next several days my life revolved around watching and listening to the television reports hoping that survivors would be found.
Within a days time I had found out that an in-law of my cousin was missing, his name Bill (William) Lum, he was partnered with me at my cousin’s wedding, years before and he and I were god father to their oldest child, he was at the impact point of the first plane, a very nice man, and in the weeks following I found out an old co-worker, Rosemary Smith, a very sweet woman who worked as our switchboard/receptionist, she loved her cats and made chocolates for special occasions, by order, was missing and presumed dead. What an old co-worker shared with me was that Rosemary was eventually found, along with a police officer and/or a Fireman or Paramedic, supposedly they made it down, but not out in time. . .
At the time, I lived in the flight path of JFK in Ozone Park, Queens, my Mom’s apartment, in Jackson Heights, was in the flight path of LaGuardia Airport, the quiet was eerie, as for the first few days post-9-11, it was so quite at night, that I could hear the A train which was 6 or so blocks from where I lived.
Another thing was, my exhusband was Egyptian and on one of the days following 9-11, we stopped at a Dunkin Donuts and as he was crossing the street I called out his name, so he could get me something, when he came back to the car, he said, don't call me by my name in public again. People here hate anyone that looks like they came from my part of the world. . .
One month later, on October 10th my daughter gave birth to my first grandson, I was so grateful her premature labor had stopped and that my grandson was not born on September 11th, also on the day his was born, my Mom had a stroke, she died three days later on October 13th, I know that 9-11 was something she took hard, did it kill her, no, but I’m sure it took some of the wind out of her sails.
For many months, working where I did on 5th Avenue and 53rd Street, two blocks from St. Patrick's Cathedral, we could hear the bagpipes processions for the fallen Firefighters and Police Officers, as they were found and their funerals took place, and I believe it went on for at least 10 months and there were some even a year later, at train stations, Grand Central Station, the Port Authority, Bridges and Tunnels, our new world had GI's with automatic weapons protecting them and that is how life was afterwards.
On the weekend of Thanksgiving 2001, along with my two daughter's, I went to pay my respects, the smell of things burning and death was still very evident, all I could really see was the old commodities building remnants, which was I think 4 WTC, never did know it’s address as if it were connected to the WTC, it was considered a part of the towers, it was a very sad experience. I did not go back again until the fall of 2005, when it was a fenced off and all that was there was a deep empty concrete pit. I am happy that they finished the memorial and it looks like a beautiful way to memorialize all those that perished on that sad day, I hope to get there to pay my respects soon, but the tickets to visit it are already months in advance.
I wish peace for the many touched by loss on that day, on some level I believe we all experienced a loss, and for certain, our world will never be the same. . . I pray we never live through such a dark day again. . .
There was a spreading plume of dark black and grey smoke and you could see the flames of what you knew was a big fire and why I say you knew it was a big fire, was that we were at least 7 miles away from downtown Manhattan, where all hell had broken lose. I remember thinking how odd that a small plane would be anywhere near the towers, that the pilot must have suffered a heart attack or something had gone terribly wrong, because there just was no way a plane should be flying that low, or close to the Trade Center, and as I said earlier, it was a bright and clear day, so not like he was lost. My next thoughts turned to the first attack on those buildings, as in 1993 I was an employee in a good size law firm that occupied 6 floors in 1 WTC and had worked there from 1988 until 1996, though at the time of the first attack, I was working 2nd shift and had actually been home watching television when they broke in that time to tell us that there had been a transformer explosion, and I watched as some of my co-workers came out of the building that time, with soot and fear on their faces, even before they spoke the word bomb, I knew that's what it was; and for the month following, while we were set up in temporary offices throughout the City, a part of me always believed that one day they would be back to finish what they had no accomplished on February 26, 1993, that kind of hate knows no bounds and it played a part in my eventual departure from that firm. So it was natural that my thoughts went there and while my suspicions were raised, I hoped otherwise.
Eventually, we made our way through the tunnel and reception on a walkman, in a tunnel, does not happen, but as we came out the other side, the radio announcer stated that either debris from the plane that hit the tower, or possibly another plane had gone into the 2nd tower, and it was at that point I knew that the terrorists were back, and my thoughts turned to what awaited us, as we were turning onto 34th Street, would they go after the Empire State Building? Somehow, we all maintained calm, or perhaps it was just shock and disbelief, our minds not accepting of what was going on, but we all stayed on the bus and continued to our various destinations. I don’t remember the conversations that went on with my fellow passengers, I believe for the most part, we were just processing everything that was happening, and information was sketchy at that point, however, I do remember all of us wishing one another safe passage as each of us got off at our respective stops and when I got off at my stop, on 51st and 6th Avenue, which is right by Rockefeller Center, I remember seeing the stunned look on people’s faces, as well as folks standing looking at the news tickers on the side of the building, across from Radio City Hall on 6th Avenue, many had tears streaming down their faces, as it became evident that we were once again in a City under attack.
One of the things I vividly recall from that day, was the faces of those who were coming up out of the subway, as those underground were unaware of the world that awaited them above, seeing them come face to face with the reality that we above ground had already been aware of for the past 30 minutes, and seeing their expressions change as awarenes**** them. Oh, and the sirens, so many police and emergency vehicles rushing downtown, even today, when I hear sirens, I get this feeling of dread inside.
I made my way to my office building on 5th Avenue and 53rd Street and when I arrived there was a line to get into the building, as the doors were suddenly manned by security, which was how quickly things were changing, and no one could enter the building without producing proof of who they were and stating what their business was, within minutes of the attack on the innocent people of New York City, the world as we knew it had changed. I got into the elevator and went up to my desk, where I kept a 5 inch black and white portable television in a drawer for those nights I worked overtime on some deal or another, I pulled it out, turned it on and a group of us congregated around my desk listening for what information was available and it was changing constantly, the President came on and made his speech. My, now, ex-husband, called me, telling me that there were more planes out there and I needed to get out of the City, to which I replied that unless I had wings and could fly off the island of Manhattan, I was basically stuck where I was, because at this point Mayor Giuliani had ordered all bridges, tunnels, subways and roadways into Manhattan closed.
Some of the attorneys in the office had been on a conference call and were carrying on without really knowing what was going on, other than from emails being received; for the rest of us, there was no way to get anything done, we watched and listened to the constantly changing reports of things going on downtown and elsewhere, when a short while after the President spoke, the reporters announced that they had received word that the Pentagon had been hit, and they started showing pictures of a similar nature to what was happening in New York, at this point I turned to my co-workers and said, boy have we and gotten caught with our pants down . . .
We really did not know what to do next, you didn't want to see and hear what you were seeing and hearing, it was surreal, like something out of one of those summer blockbuster movie. The only way to get information was to stay put, and even the information being reported was constantly changing and being updated. At one point a firm wide email came out telling us that the televisions in our conference center were available for us, so some wandered off to the conference area. I don’t believe anyone attempted to leave the offices, in part it was the fact that the City was in lock down mode.
On many levels it felt as though time was standing still, and then we watched as the first of the two towers came down. One of my co-workers, an attorney I had worked with previously at 1 WTC, was at my ledge, her and I locked eyes and I am sure we mirrored one another’s faces, we had just witnessed something that was beyond our imagination and while we never said a word to one another, I know my thoughts were on all the people we had known at our previous firm, as well as knowing that the WTC was like a City unto itself, I silently prayed that everyone made it out safely, even as their building still stood. My mind and heart hurt for those I knew had already perished. It was a horrible moment realizing the devastation and loss unfolding and wondering what was coming next. I knew that if one building came down, the timer was ticking and it was a just a matter of time before the other one came down as well, but, I also hoped I was wrong in that feeling and prayed that was not going to be the case, however, a short time later, that is exactly what happened and I think it was at this point I finally cried. It was somewhere in there that they announced about Flight 93 going down in a field in Pennsylvania, more prayers said and hoping there would be no more such news. I truly hoped, from what I knew, having worked in those buildings and due to the hour chosen by the hijackers, there would be less casualties then media was talking about and hoping that more got out then got caught by the collapse.
As an aside here, one of the things that has always been in my mind is how things in life work, you see the first bombing I worked 2nd shift and was not there when that occurred and here it was 8 years later and I no longer worked there, but had I, it was my habit to be at work at 8:40 in the morning, as I would go to our cafeteria on the 57th floor and have breakfast and talk with other co-workers who also would get to work early and then meander to my desk about 9:20, as my work day normally was 9:30 to 5:30. . .
The overwhelming shock and not knowing what to do next, made me want a cigarette, as back then I was still a smoker and it occurred to me that I had not had stopped to get breakfast, not even coffee and it was close to 11 a.m. at this point, so I went downstairs to have a smoke and buy a cup of coffee from the coffee cart and it was there I ran into a group of my co-workers, who had gone downstairs to try and clear their heads, they had heard that the bridges and tunnels were being reopened so people could leave the city and decided that a group of us should try and walk across the 59th Street Bridge, as some had relatives and people who would come to get them and/or find other ways to get home. I decided to go with them and went upstairs, told my bosses that I was leaving and met up with the group downstairs and we headed for the bridge. It was a long walk, more because of the amount of people headed there and took us a good 45 minutes to get there, some of that time was spent talking about how could this have happened, about the magnitude of this tragic day and whether or not we’d be hearing about more such attacks, some it spent in silent reflection and, while I speak about my thoughts here, I don't think I was alone in wondering about all those people downtown and what they were going through and those that would never be going home.
We made our way and I wound up separated from my co-workers, as the shoes I was wearing were not walking shoes and I was slowing down some, when I got to the bridge, there was a crush of both people walking and cars driving across that bridge, yet everyone was orderly, looking out for one another, about half way over it, I was on the lower roadway, so you can't see the sky unless you are at the outer edges, we heard a plane, my heart dropped and I know others were feeling similarly, as people started to scream "a plane, a plane" and while no one ran and openly panicked, it was nerve wracking until some people, who had looked up from the outskirts of the bridge, reassured everyone that it a fighter piloted jet and we all, collectively, sighed a sigh of relief. I made it across the bridge and continued, on to where my car was, as the night before I had car troubles and dropped it off at a shop in Greenpoint. Along the way I tried making phone calls from my cell phone, it was absolutely useless and that is why I shall always have a landline, I waited at one point to use a pay phone, there were 20 people, maybe more, in line, each took their turn and then handed it over to the next person, everyone being considerate of one another's need to let someone know how and where they were, I just wanted my daughter, who had gone into premature labor the night before, to know I was ok. I got to the shop, got in my car and drove to my best friend’s house, who was so happy to see me when I got there, you see she had forgotten I no longer worked in 1 WTC and was frantically trying to find me, until she thought to call my daughter who told her that I had not worked there in over 4 years. We sat together watching the news, by that point they were talking about thousands of casualties.
After awhile I left to get my Mom, and as I drove to pick her up, I remember the acrid smell from the fires in downtown Manhattan had already drifted the 9 or so miles to Queens and Woodhaven Boulevards and there was a smoky haze in the air. After spending time with my Mom, I eventually went home to take care of Dillinger and found out that work would not be open the next day (I think we were closed for the remainder of the week) and so for the next several days my life revolved around watching and listening to the television reports hoping that survivors would be found.
Within a days time I had found out that an in-law of my cousin was missing, his name Bill (William) Lum, he was partnered with me at my cousin’s wedding, years before and he and I were god father to their oldest child, he was at the impact point of the first plane, a very nice man, and in the weeks following I found out an old co-worker, Rosemary Smith, a very sweet woman who worked as our switchboard/receptionist, she loved her cats and made chocolates for special occasions, by order, was missing and presumed dead. What an old co-worker shared with me was that Rosemary was eventually found, along with a police officer and/or a Fireman or Paramedic, supposedly they made it down, but not out in time. . .
At the time, I lived in the flight path of JFK in Ozone Park, Queens, my Mom’s apartment, in Jackson Heights, was in the flight path of LaGuardia Airport, the quiet was eerie, as for the first few days post-9-11, it was so quite at night, that I could hear the A train which was 6 or so blocks from where I lived.
Another thing was, my exhusband was Egyptian and on one of the days following 9-11, we stopped at a Dunkin Donuts and as he was crossing the street I called out his name, so he could get me something, when he came back to the car, he said, don't call me by my name in public again. People here hate anyone that looks like they came from my part of the world. . .
One month later, on October 10th my daughter gave birth to my first grandson, I was so grateful her premature labor had stopped and that my grandson was not born on September 11th, also on the day his was born, my Mom had a stroke, she died three days later on October 13th, I know that 9-11 was something she took hard, did it kill her, no, but I’m sure it took some of the wind out of her sails.
For many months, working where I did on 5th Avenue and 53rd Street, two blocks from St. Patrick's Cathedral, we could hear the bagpipes processions for the fallen Firefighters and Police Officers, as they were found and their funerals took place, and I believe it went on for at least 10 months and there were some even a year later, at train stations, Grand Central Station, the Port Authority, Bridges and Tunnels, our new world had GI's with automatic weapons protecting them and that is how life was afterwards.
On the weekend of Thanksgiving 2001, along with my two daughter's, I went to pay my respects, the smell of things burning and death was still very evident, all I could really see was the old commodities building remnants, which was I think 4 WTC, never did know it’s address as if it were connected to the WTC, it was considered a part of the towers, it was a very sad experience. I did not go back again until the fall of 2005, when it was a fenced off and all that was there was a deep empty concrete pit. I am happy that they finished the memorial and it looks like a beautiful way to memorialize all those that perished on that sad day, I hope to get there to pay my respects soon, but the tickets to visit it are already months in advance.
I wish peace for the many touched by loss on that day, on some level I believe we all experienced a loss, and for certain, our world will never be the same. . . I pray we never live through such a dark day again. . .
My Mantra is that I do not determine my success by the number hanging in my closet, nor will I let the scale determine that success either. . . It is through trial and error I will continue to grow and succeed. . . Laureen
"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland
Laureen...thank you so much....I am so glad you decided to post this account of your days at the time of 9-11. It touched my heart...I am sitting here in tears.
I am so glad you made it through....you are a very important part of OFF....a very special friend to so many of us.
God Bless You!!
Love and hugs....connie d
I am so glad you made it through....you are a very important part of OFF....a very special friend to so many of us.
God Bless You!!
Love and hugs....connie d
Thanks Connie, I am a very blessed person and I have a special bond to many on this board.
Hugs, Laureen
Hugs, Laureen
My Mantra is that I do not determine my success by the number hanging in my closet, nor will I let the scale determine that success either. . . It is through trial and error I will continue to grow and succeed. . . Laureen
"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland
(((Laureen))) OMG you really have been through it haven't you?! WOW!!! I read it and am amazed at how well you wrote about it and I am fighting back the tears yet....thankyou for sharing this and know my heart goes out to you for your loss along with the others that also lost thier family on that sad sad day!!!
GOD Bless America!!!!
Aloha my sweet friend.........I could picture your day so vividly and it gave me "chicken skin".......and a feeling of deep sadness. So many lives changed forever that horrible day, and the idea of trusting our fellow man is becoming more difficult as more of these barbarities occur.
Thank you so much for sharing your personal experience. It must have been hard to relive it again for us on here. Ironically, on Sept. 11th, 2001, I was packed and ready to move to Maui from Oregon. All flights were cancelled, and my trip moved back about a week. I arrived on Maui Sept. 18th. Another friend of mine moved here the week BEFORE 9/11. Everyone will remember where they were on that day.
With so much aloha,
Karen
Thank you so much for sharing your personal experience. It must have been hard to relive it again for us on here. Ironically, on Sept. 11th, 2001, I was packed and ready to move to Maui from Oregon. All flights were cancelled, and my trip moved back about a week. I arrived on Maui Sept. 18th. Another friend of mine moved here the week BEFORE 9/11. Everyone will remember where they were on that day.
With so much aloha,
Karen
Hello dear Sistah,
I relive that day each year, as soon as the calendar reads September it comes flooding back, it is a time period within which so much happened in my life at one time and for me the sadness comes and goes, while many were touched more personally than I, or in ways I was not, losing my Mom in that time period has me intertwined forever with the events of that day, as does the birthday of my oldest grandson reminds me that my Mom is gone another year (he turns 10 and she is gone 10 years), so writing it down was actually very cathartic.
I thank you for always having a kind word and I love the pictures you paint of your Hawaiian home and the things you do. You are such a positive soul and I feel a connection to you.
Have a blessed day, full of joyful, peaceful moments!
Hugs, Laureen
I relive that day each year, as soon as the calendar reads September it comes flooding back, it is a time period within which so much happened in my life at one time and for me the sadness comes and goes, while many were touched more personally than I, or in ways I was not, losing my Mom in that time period has me intertwined forever with the events of that day, as does the birthday of my oldest grandson reminds me that my Mom is gone another year (he turns 10 and she is gone 10 years), so writing it down was actually very cathartic.
I thank you for always having a kind word and I love the pictures you paint of your Hawaiian home and the things you do. You are such a positive soul and I feel a connection to you.
Have a blessed day, full of joyful, peaceful moments!
Hugs, Laureen
My Mantra is that I do not determine my success by the number hanging in my closet, nor will I let the scale determine that success either. . . It is through trial and error I will continue to grow and succeed. . . Laureen
"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland
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