I was running out of the door towards my car thinking, "Oh crap...if I'm late for work again, I'm definitely going to get the "talking to". What made it a little better is that we lived in Perrysburg at the time-- and only 10 minutes away from my office. Just get to my car & hit the gas!I turned on the radio-- expecting to hear some music & light-hearted banter to go with my anxiety of being late...again! Instead I heard about a plane colliding with one of the World Trade Center buildings in New York. "Holy cow!" I thought, "That pilot must have been completely drunk & out of it to hit a huge building like that! What a fool...that idiot just caused hundreds of lives to be lost." And that was the end of it-- of course, until I got to work.
I was just a few minutes late (not too shabby...) getting to work. As I was walking up to the front door, I noticed my co-workers huddled by the radio, listening very intently. "Oh great," I thought, "I'm gonna get nailed for being late. What a crap-tastic day this is beginning to be...". I walked in & went straight to my desk not saying a word. My co-worker asked me if I had heard what happened in New York. I told her that I'd heard a plane crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers-- probably a drunk pilot. She then stated that there was another plane... it crashed into the other tower a few moments ago, just before you walked in. Everyone is saying that it's a terrorist attack.
What?!? That's impossible. Who would be stupid enough to attach America? I mentally dismissed the idea of terrorism right away. That made no sense whatsoever. It wasn't until I heard about a 3rd plane crashing into the Pentagon that I began to realize that I was wrong...terribly wrong.
Discussions started at work as to why all of this was happening, and we all started calling our family & friends. We were hearing heart-breaking reports of people not being able to get in contact with loved ones that worked at the Twin Towers. And of people succumbing to the smoke & heat in the buildings. Imagine having only two options for escape-- to turn & run into a wall of intense flames & try to make a run for it, or get to an open window only to remember that you are hundreds of feet in the air & if you jumped, the fall would kill you. I remember later watching video of the towers burning & noticing "debris" falling from the plane entry points. The realization that it wasn't "debris" that was falling sucked the life breath right out of me. It hurts my heart & haunts me to this day.In the meantime, another plane had reportedly crashed in Pennsylvania in an open field. The story of Flight 93 is a story of bravery & sacrifice that is beyond any re-telling that I might attempt. All it took was just a moment of courage and strength (straight from God Himself) and those brave souls saved countless innocent people. It's an amazing example of how God works through the human spirit.
I had a different kind of anxiety while I drove back home. I drove a little slower, and made sure that I arrived home safely. I walked into my house & found my husband glued to the T.V. getting all of the updates on the attacks. As soon as I saw his face, it was then that I finally broke down & cried & cried & cried. I hugged him as long & as hard as I could. I hugged him for all of the wives that couldn't hug their husbands anymore, and I hugged him for all of the brave first responders that may have responded for the last time, and I hugged him for all of the children that would never know their parent due to an evil, senseless act of brutality.
The way that I have chosen to fight this war is to live my life to the fullest. The single reason for a "terrorist attack" is to cause terror. Don't be afraid--live boldly! Thank you Lord for allowing us to be free!! Don't forget to hug your family & wave your flag! Honor your country & the fallen by living with purpose! God Bless America!!!
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