I was working at home that morning and my secretary called to tell me just after the first tower fire. I turned on the TV. As the announcer was talking, you could see a plane in the background and I kept thinking, OMG, it looks like that plane is going to fly right into the WTC. Surely not. OMG, it sure looks like... no, surely not. No! No! No! To say I gasped with disbelieve and cried my eyes out is an understatement.
My Book Club was scheduled for a trip to NY on Oct. 5, 2001. After 911, we debated whether to go, and initially cancelled. However, NY's economy was hurting and they had a campaign pleading for people to not be afraid to come. So we went. When we re-booked our airfare and hotel, the cost was a fraction of what it had been initially. Not wanting to take advantage of the tragedy, we vowed to spend the different in NY.
The trip was unforgettable. The smoke was still well smoldering and visible. We visited with firemen at a precinct that had lost more than a dozen fire fighters. We cried. They cried. American flags were in every window. The Empire State Building was lit up in red, white and blue. Everyone from cab drivers to Chinese restauranteurs expressed their shock and sadness. I bought an inexpensive pen at one shop and the saleslady sent me a handwritten thank you note, expressing how grateful she was to us for coming to NY. I cried my eyes out.
Today my book club met. It was my turn to lead and I started us by observing a moment of silence. There were tears.
For the horror of 911. For the bravery on flight 93, and the bravery of our firefighters, police, emergency medical, k-9 rescue teams, and our soldiers. We stand in honor and awe.
We are all Americans. We are all New Yorkers. We will never forget.
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