- waking up to news reports that didn't make sense to anyone--including those reporting it
- the realization of what was happening and the disbelief that it was
- my relief and gratitude to finally reach my dad on his cellphone, since he is often at the Pentagon and travels a lot--he was leaving Dulles airport when I got through
- getting the "Code Yellow" disaster call from work (Virginia Hospital Center--the designated hospital for the Pentagon) requesting all available healthcare personnel report to their units
- wanting nothing more than to crawl into bed with Doug and feel safe
- hoping to be able to help and make a difference
- the drive to work being very surreal. Almost like living in slow-motion. Everyone on the road seemed stunned. Lots of police presence and roadblocks around the hospital
- we were never inundated with victims like we'd expected and hoped since very few made it out alive
- driving by the Pentagon to see the damage
- sitting in a staff meeting soon after 9/11 with my boss saying she expected business (labor and delivery) to decrease in 9 months and a co-worker disagreeing. My co-worker was right. We had a huge increase the following summer
Most of all, I remember seeing the best in people in the weeks and months after the attacks. People were more courteous, more caring, kinder, less hurried. Even in traffic! Something so terrible and unbelievable brought our nation together. Now we seem to be more divided than ever. I wish that we could really just have "peace on earth, goodwill toward men." Is that too simplistic? Maybe so. But I can hope for a brighter future and do what I can to make my little world--with my children, friends, family and anyone else I may come into contact with--a happier, more positive and healthier place to be.
4 comments:
I didn't know you were working down there when that happened. I bet it WAS surreal. Woah.
It must have been strange to be here during that time. I moved here one year later. Why would they think there would be less babies?
This was one day before Jefferson was due, and I was SO worried he'd come that day. I heard it on the radio then watched TV and saw the second plane hit. It was very surreal. I remember getting the dumbest phone calls from people about regular things and wondering how you could possibly feel so removed. (This one girl asked why I didn't want Jeffy to come that day!! She was just so cheerful.)
Yikes! I didn't realize you were there either. How crazy to get that call.
I remember VERY clearly driving to work that morning. I remember where I was on the highway when I heard on NPR that a "small plane" had crashed into one of the towers but no one really knew what was going on. The second plane crashed between the time I parked my car and walked into work. A very surreal day.
Living in the West at the time, I just remember not being able to take it in - it just didn't seem real or possible. That whole day I was glued to the TV and had to keep explaining to Sophie who was 2 that I was crying because a lot of people were hurt and I felt so sad for them... What an awful day.
I didn't know you were so close to all the events either. I bet it was hard when there was no one for you to help. Wow.
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