Remembering 9/11: What I Remember.

by Compass Cleaning Solutions • September 11, 2016
Compass Cleaning Solutions

I had flown out of San Diego, to Seattle, early on Monday morning. I had gone directly to my clients business and put in a full and productive day. That night I connected with some old friends and we went to dinner. Tuesday morning I got up early and began to get ready for my second day with my client. As I was getting ready my cell phone rang. It was my wife. She told me I needed to turn on the TV. A plane had crashed into one of the WTC Twin Towers in New York City. As I watched, mesmerized by what I was seeing, the second plane hit the second tower. This was no accident, this was an attack. I will be honest I do not remember a lot about the next few hours. I remember it being hard to pull myself away and continue my job. When I got to my clients’ business half the people were not coming in and we ended early, around noon. I went back to my hotel room and continued watching. By this time of course the third plane had hit the Pentagon and the fourth had crashed into a Pennsylvania field. I knew at that moment what my grandparents and my parents had felt 60 years earlier. Its not real until it hits you. Well, it was real, and everything changed.

For the next six days I was rescheduled to meet with other clients in the Seattle area (because I wasn’t going anywhere), but no one was really interested in doing work. I heard expressions of anger, of retribution, of fear, of bewilderment, but not a lot of forgiveness or hope. By the time the airlines were given permission to operate again we were all ready to go home and be with our families. Waiting in the airport to board our plane was a surreal experience. All of us had been stranded, away from our families, but in that confined area we all connected as Americans, as one family. Conversations with strangers were easy and very personal.

So, where were you on Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001? What is your story? How have you changed since then? What do you believe now that you didn’t then? I would love to read your stories. Post them here and read others as well.