Where Were You?

I can't believe it's been seven years. I remember it like it was yesterday. The day started out like every other day. I got up, got dressed and went to work, we all did.

My mother called me at work and asked if I heard anything about a plane flying into the World Trade Center. I hadn't heard anything and we both hoped it wasn't true. I worked on Church Street the first time the WTC was damaged and my mind went back to that day.

I went online to see if I could find any information. Since there was nothing there, I figured what my mother heard was untrue. I said a prayer and went back to my work. Just as I put the thought out of my head, she called back and told me that the first tower had definitely been hit and that I should turn on the radio. It was all over the airwaves. A plane was flown into the World Trade Center.




It was unbelievable! I was in shock. My mind, once again, went back to the first time an attempt was made to destroy one of those buildings. I immediately thought of all the lives that would be lost. I sat down and cried. After the second tower was hit, I was devastated. I could only imagine what the people who were in those buildings must have been going through.

We all left work early and I made a beeline to my son's elementary school. Everyone was there picking their children up. We all wanted to make sure that our babies were with us. We weren't sure if we could keep them safe, but at least we would be together. No one knew if something else was going to happen and we were all terrified.

The World Trade Center towers were a part of the view from my terrace. I looked when I got home and all I saw was black smoke. I held my son's hand and cried like a baby. He didn't understand what was going on and I did the best I could to explain. To be honest, I wasn't sure myself. Who would do such a thing? How much hate do you have to have in your heart to kill thousands of people?

The images I saw on television are in my head to this day. Seeing people jump out of windows to escape the heat is something I will never forget. So many lost lives. All the people who kissed their relatives goodbye, never to see them again, and those who never got the chance to say goodbye. People walking around devastated and covered in ash.




A few days later my mother, daughter, sisters, a good friend, and I went down to a candlelight vigil in Union Square. Posters of lost loved ones were everywhere. People were hugging each other and crying. It wasn't about black or white, rich or poor, this or that, it was about the unnecessary loss of human life and the aftermath. People always seem to come together when there is a tragedy. Why can't it just stay that way?

I can't help but think about the presidential election today. Thinking about the tragedy only reinforces the need for change. After what took place seven years ago, how could anyone want more of the same? It boggles my mind that people don't make the connection. It's time for a new face, a new party, and some new policies that actually have a chance of helping people who need it the most. It's time for a change.

I thank God every day that my family wasn't affected by the tragedy. I also pray for those who were. Life is so short. We really have to cherish the ones we love and let them know how we feel about them. You never know what could happen. We have to value the love we receive.

Take some time today to think about those who lost their lives and be thankful for your life and the lives of the people you care about.