Remembering...

April writing...

It seems a waste to re-write the whole flashback. So if you feel inclined, you can read the original post this flashback came from here.

As a recap....Here's where I was...

I had just gotten home from a 12-hour shift in the ER. I said goodnight to my mom and went to bed, it was around 7:30 a.m.. I wasn't prepared for the terrible news that I would soon hear. I feel quickly asleep and quickly awoke as my cell phone rang. I incoherently picked up the phone and answered with a sleepy, "Hello?" It was Cory, we had been engaged now for a little over months.

Cory - "You need to wake up and go turn on the TV, something has happened."
Me- "What is it? What happened?" as I quickly get up out of bed.
Cory - "I can't explain it, just turn on the news. You'll see." Cory was eerily quiet but still noticeably disturbed. Normally Cory handled many things with a cool calm...so I knew something was wrong. I turned on the TV that was already set to a news channel and watched in horror as they played an replayed an amateur video of an airplane crashing into one of the Twin Towers in NY City.
Me - "Oh no Cory. What's happening?"
Cory - "I am not sure, they are calling it an accident."

At this point (if I remember correctly) both my Dad and Mom came out and we all watched for about 15 or so minutes as they just kept playing the video footage, speculating about what was happening. It was horrifying and confusing.

A little after 9 am reports came in that a 2nd airplane had hit the 2nd Twin Tower. It was at this point that I cried. I was worried. I was sad. I was angry. What has happening? What was next? My dad grabbed a tape and began taping the news, we all knew this was going to be something that would change our world drastically.

We continued watching as the minutes passed as slowly as hours. I hung up with Cory. I couldn't quite remember if he had work that day or what.

We watched TV for what seemed like forever. Experts coming and going talking about the mornings happenings. Then, it hit too close to home. Reports started coming in around 9:45 that the Pentagon had been hit. I remember looking at Dad and asking who from church worked there. We speculated as to who we thought did, I remember getting very sick to my stomach. The Pentagon is only about 45 minutes away, if that. We could tell by now that these were most likely terrorist attacks and major buildings were being hit...so for now, we were safe. But it didn't feel that way.

In the next 30 minutes it would get worse. What we didn't seem to realize was coming happened. The South and North Towers collapsed. The devastation and terror there was horrifying to watch. I just remember them playing it over and over again. It was at this point that I knew I couldn't watch any more. By now, Dad had left for work. (He works at the church and he knew he would be needed.)

I went to bed, but barely slept. I prayed. "What is happening? Keep us safe, protect and care for the families involved, the injured people..."

I woke up around 5:15, I remember this because I slept through more than 25 minutes of my alarm. I had to get up and get ready for work. I had another 12-hour shift at the hospital. I slowly got up, ate, got dressed and drove to work. The roads seemed quiet...the whole world seemed quiet. I spoke to Mom and she mentioned some friends from church who were impacted by the hit on the Pentagon. One family in particular. The wife showed up at church, completely lost and disoriented. Completely distraught. Her husband worked at the Pentagon, and she couldn't reach him. I can only imagine how this must have felt for her. He turned out to be ok, alive and safe. But how scary.

I listened to reports on the radio of another plane crashing in Pennsylvania...probably connected to the days events but not making it to it's destination, most likely Washington DC again...possibly the White House.

I pulled into the parking lot of the ER and it was packed. I knew it would be a long night. I slowly walked through the doors, seeing so many faces. I remember this more than anything...the quiet of the ER waiting room. It was packed with people, but the TV was on and it seemed as if no one could speak as they all watched what happened over and over, like they couldn't pull their eyes from the screen. The Chief of the ER had called in a friend, a harpist. She played for over 3 hours about 10 feet from my desk. It was such a weird night, the quiet in the ER backed with the soothing harp music. Then the day ended. How would we all start over again. What would tomorrow morning bring.

Even though we knew all flights had been grounded, we all still listened to the TV/radio all night long just expecting to hear more bad news. We heard about all the devastation in NY and at the Pentagon. The lives lost, the people missing. This day won't soon be forgotten.

That was it...8 years ago today. I purposefully set this post to go live at 8:45 am. The reported time for the first attack of that horrible day.

There aren't really any more words.
I just leave you with this challenge.

Pray.

For your Country, and it's leaders, laws and reforms. For your Family, Moms, Dads, Siblings, Aunts & Uncles, Grandparents and Cousins. For your job, and for those who have none. Pray for your neighborhood, their safety, their growth and stability. Pray for your church, the Pastor, the staff, the members and the surrounding community. Pray for the North, South, East and West.

There is never a shortage of people, issues, and requests to pray about...and it's always needed. Pray with strength and perseverance...we owe it to the many that sacrificed their lives that day and every day before and after, those that didn't get a chance to say that last prayer, to hug their families one more time, or to make a change that could have them living ETERNITY with our Father.

September 11, 2001...Never Forget...Always Pray.