Saturday, September 12, 2009

Memories of 9/11

Yesterday there were a lot of tributes and remembering of 9/11. I've been sorting through my memories since.

I do remember exactly how I found out and my reaction. The school secretary come to my room and told me that the first tower had been hit by a plane. They (the new media) wasn't sure if it was and accident or done deliberately at that point. Scary, but I had class to teach, then she came back a few minutes later with, "We are under attack the second tower has been hit by a plane. This is awful....."

The TV in the school library was turned on and teacher and classes began to gather there to watch and wonder. Replays of the planes hitting the buildings and live shots of people running and the chaos. Teachers were crying, apprehension filled the air and I just wanted to go back to my room shut the door and get back to teaching.

I couldn't do anything about what was happening, I was helpless and I wanted it get away from hearing about it. I gathered my students up and took them back with me. "Class we have to learn this was," my attitude. Nouns are more important than what is happening to our country. Not really I know, but I couldn't stand it --- I couldn't do anything --- I couldn't even watch.

That evening I attended a prayer meeting like many around the country to pray for the victims and their families, pray for the men and women who were searching for survivors and bodies, pray for safety for all of us, and pray that those responsible for this would be found and made to pay.

I remember --- and the feeling that is still with me is how helpless and defenseless I felt.

6 comments:

Ladykli said...

I was teaching pre-k. We had a tv on but we didn't have any of the students watching. Our world and lives changed for ever that day. We thought we would be forever safe. I don't want to go all political but I don't like how things are in our country right now. I never know who to believe it's all so complicated. I want to feel safe again. I just hope we haven't let our guard down.

IdaR said...

I agree with Ladykli. Nothing is the same now. The days of feeling safe because this is America are, sadly, a thing of the past.

Unknown said...

The unfortunate thing is that the way our government handled things AFTER 9/11 just made things worse, as far as safety is concerned. We had a chance to make the lives lost count for something. We had a chance to let the rest of the world join us in resisting the machinations of the terror mongers. Instead, much of the rest of the world now despises us.

We lost more than their lives that day.

Unknown said...

I will never forget those moments on that day either. I too felt that extreme helplessness. I hope and pray that we will never witness anything like that ever again.

Hootin Anni said...

Even today, reading your account of how you found out about the terrorist attack, sends chills over my whole being.

Unknown said...

Patsy, are you okay?//