9/11 - Reflections on this 11th Anniversary

I Think Not(t). 

Sometimes I think.  Sometimes, not(t) so much.  These are my thoughts, or not(t).

I reflect on the 11^th anniversary of 9/11..   I remember where I was on that fateful, nasty day.

I was off that day – a Tuesday.  I was the Manager of the RadioShack in Hudson, NH.  I had the day off, (wooo whooo!) and so I was awakened from sleep. 

RING RING!!!

The "land line" phone call ~ My mother’s best friend:  Did I know where my mother was?

Yes – she was on a flight from Boston to Seattle (she and my step Dad were en route to an Alaskan cruise.)

NOOOO – WHERE IS YOUR MOTHER???

THEY are on an airplane to Seattle - what is the problem?

Turn on the TV.

Huh?

Turn on the TV

Ok, but…

So I turned on my TV – and I see … Tower One falls, and falls, and falls again.

Then, so does Tower Two.  LIVE.  Over and over, and over, again.

What am I looking at???   (It looks like a FABULOUS  Hollywood set that is AMAZING), but WHY (as I shake the sleepy seeds out of my brain) , WHY is this on the TV now, in the morning??? 

I am glued to my tv.

Maureen, please tell me what I looking at?

Terrorist have taken down one of the World Trade Centers.  One of the planes was out of Boston.  WHERE IS YOUR MOTHER????

Now reality kicks in.  OH SHIT.

Me to Maureen:  She and Stan took a plane out of Logan to Seattle. 

BRAIN TO ME:  I don’t know.  With all that that I know of my mother, could she *really* be part of an international incident?  FUCK.  Calm.  I am hoping Not(t).  Just keep calm.

Me to Maureen: I dunno, if you hear anything, PLEASE let me know. OK.

Maureen to Me:  You too. K.

I am still glued to my TV (much like most of my fellow Americans).

My phone (VZW) rings about 2 hours later.  It is my Aunt from AZ.  She says she has just talked to my Mom.  Mom and Stan are grounded in Rochester, NY and since the Verizon towers (on the WTC) have been wiped out, my mother can’t call me directly (she had VZW cell svc) ~ it seems to only work across the Country to my Aunt in AZ (and thereby back) but mom wanted me to know they are OK will be home as soon as they can get there.  Oddly enough, I have to ask my Aunt to call my mom back and say that I love her, plus her BFF wants to talk to her.  Heh (insert ironic humor here). 

I call Maureen and relay the news.  Eventually, Mom calls me but she somehow knows Osama Bin Laden was responsible for this tragedy.  I ask how she knows.  She said something about politics and that she just knew, but I was too happy to hear her voice to pay attention, happy to know she and Stan were on their way home. 

It takes 2 days for my Mom and Stan to get back to NH from NY.  And yes, a year later, they got to take that Alaskan Cruise.

Turns out my Mom and Stan shared the Gate with Flight 111.  She recalls a dark skinned man looking out the window sort of reflectively. 

So Close, Yet so OMFG Far.

I count my blessings every day for what I have.  Miracles do happen.  I do also wish for peace for those of the fallen and the families who have had to bear the losses.   God Speed.