Septemer 11th Remembered

It’s exceptionally difficult to concentrate today.

Monday is my office day and is typically reserved for filling out paperwork, sending forms and reports that tell my company what I have accomplished the previous week. A news program is almost always playing in the background as I hammer away on the keys of my Toshiba laptop.

Today is different. The news is on, but current events are replaced with recollections, and intermittent moments of silence.

Five years ago, my morning started very different.

I dropped my son off at school, popped in a Kenny Chesney CD and headed towards the architectural firm where I was scheduled to make a big presentation. I hadn’t listened to the news that morning and with a CD in my stereo I wasn’t aware of the current state of chaos slowly enveloping the Country as I drove to work.

When I entered the front door of the firm, I noticed everyone in the office was gathered around a small TV in the conference room and an eerie mood shrouded the air. Sensing something was terribly wrong I allowed my eyes to focus on the program on the screen. It was CNN, and the vision of the Trade Towers billowing with smoke stared me in the face. I dropped my briefcase, and walked closer to the crowd huddled around the television. As comprehension seeped into consciousness, disbelief and fear overwhelmed my senses. I immediately tried calling my old roommates in New York City…. all who were still American Airline Flight Attendants, but the circuits were blocked. It took months before I knew that they were all ok. I spent the following hour in that conference room, watching and learning more about what was actually going on before I left their office and headed home.

The drive home seemed endless. More details emerged from my radio of the second tower collapsing as memories of living in New York City replayed in my mind like a movie. The towers were a permanent fixture in the skyline and the view looking down from the top floors is a sight one never forgets.

Every one of us remembers exactly where we were when our Country was attacked on September 11th. The date and specifics will be etched in our souls for the rest of our lives.

My deepest heart felt thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who lost family, friends and colleagues on that horrible day.

I will never forget.