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#468 | Wednesday, December 12th 2001
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On September 11th, 2001 I was at work in the shop called Dreamscapes. My boss Theresa was in Europe. Only one colleague was there with me as we listened to the morning news as usual. I was creating a valance at the time the reportage begin. We both stood there shocked as we slipped stitched or did herrenbone stitches to prepare the drapes, I now can't remember where we were in the process, but I recall feeling too stunned to focus and continue. We listened intently about the on-goings listing each event and the next two hours after the first attack was hell, but we continued sewing those drapes. We called a few relatives to see how they were affected and prayed no one we knew were victims, but we were hurt just the same. I left from work early and came home and watched television for the next two days, practically in awe for the next 24 hours. I cried and never felt more patriotic in my life. I did not go out because I was in too much pain. I called my friends in New York and they were alright, but they all had friends that weren't as fortunate. I went to New York one week later and took photos of the damage, and created a fundraising photographic poetry book entitled "I answered for myself" by Michael G. Penn which is now a part of my fundraising project for the people of New York and Washington who suffered through this horrific incident. It's about peace and forgiveness. Forgiveness is divine.
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Michael | 41 | Massachusetts
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#467 | Wednesday, December 12th 2001
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I will NEVER forget where I was on September 11th 2001! I was at work - I'm the church secretary - and I had the radio on when the dj came on and in a very weird voice said something about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. Having worked near the Trade Center, I thought to my self how? No planes are supposed to be near the towers so I went and turned on the television to see what was going on. As I stood there watching the news people speculate about the plane, the 2nd plane plowed into the other tower! I was hysterical!!! I called my husband at work and told him and just then the girls in his office told him to come and see the television. We both were stunned because one plane crashing could have been an accident but no way was two! And on that day my boss, the pastor here, was supposed to fly to Virginia and I had no idea where he was - in the air, on the ground, heading to some other airport for security reasons...then when the towers collapsed, I was absolutely speechless! I knew everybody could not have gotten out in that short of time and I never figured the towers would go down! We had 3 friends who got out (physically they are ok but this will haunt them for a very long time and all they did was show up for work that day!) and my old place of employment (they had moved to tower #1 about 3 years ago - after I worked there but I still kept in touch with some of them)but we found out the next day that one of my husband's friends from high school was missing and he didn't even work there...he was there for a management meeting! And about a week later, we found out another friend was missing - they both worked for the same place. I went on-line to find out more names and there my husband found out another classmate was missing! For two weeks we walked around numb and every once in awhile that feeling returns...and even where we live (a rural area) when a plane flys low, I'm nervous. I will NEVER forget Tuesday, September 11th 2001...and I now know how my parents felt when they first heard about Pearl Harbor! My prayers go out to all the victims and their families and friends...and to everyone else in the world! What we need is love, sweet love! And peace...young kids can get along...wouldn't it be nice if adults learned from their examples instead of the other way around!
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Annie | 41 | New York
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#431 | Monday, December 10th 2001
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Waking up late started the day bad enough. I was getting ready for the day when the radio station announced that a plane had hit the WTC. At first I thought of a small private plane. I ran to the tv to see what the news was offering. When I switched it on, I witnessed the second plane hitting the second tower. I could not believe what I was seeing. I called my husband at work to let him know. He was very quiet and calm. He knew what had happened. He reasured me that we were ok and not to worry. On my way to work it was announced that the Pentagon was also hit. The only thing that crossed my mind was for the first time I understand what people felt the day Pearl Harbor was bombed.
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Denise | 41 | Illinois
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#361 | Saturday, December 8th 2001
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I was at work in NJ outside Philadelphia. Someone said to find a tv because a plane had run into the World Trade Building. I was thinking it was just some small private plane. When we finally got a tv working in the office I couldn't believe what I was seeing. By then the second plane had hit the second building. There was flames and lots of black smoke pouring out of the buildings. The newscasters tried to explain what we were looking at but I think even they were haveing a hard time with it. We could see debri failing out of the buildings. Everyone had their eyes glued to the tube. No one in the room could believe their eyes. One of the people I worked with had a brother who had an office in one of the buildings. She tried frantically to get intouch with him. Finally she found out that he was working across town in a different office that day. Then we were shown a different picture that was obviously not NY. The newscasters weren't aware that the picture had been changed for a while but as it turns out it was Washington D.C.
I'm not sure I can describe the feelings that went through my mind when the first building collapesed. I do know that my knees got very weak and the world seemed to change. We looked around the room and you could see that everyone was feeling it. It wasn't just another plane crash or building fire. Now it was something that we had never seen. All those people in that building - thinking, knowing that they were not going to make it out. It was a feeling I don't want to ever feel again. At that moment it wasn't rage - but sadness - that we were not going to be the same again.
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Rob | 41 | Pennsylvania
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#182 | Tuesday, October 2nd 2001
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I was driving into NYC and had just pulled into the parking lot near our uptown office when I heard that a plane had crashed into the WTC. I thought it was a small plane, perhaps a navigational error. The time was 8:53. I got on the elevator and went upstairs. My officemate arived crying and said another plane had crashed into the WTC. We both rushed to the other side of the building where we could see the WTC burning. I could not believe that it was real.
My dh works across the river, and he saw the second plane crash and both towers collapse. He was very scared for my safety and urged me to go home.
We all rushed into an office with a tv and watched the scenes unfold. There were many rumors, the plane crash at the Pentagon, the plane crash in PA, a truck stopped on the George Washington Bridge filled with explosives. All turned out to be true. The office announced we could go home. But the city was basically sealed off, no tunnels or bridges open, no buses or trains running.
I decided to drive north into Westchester County and went over the Tappan Zee Bridge. When I got to the other side, I was never so thankful to be in NJ in my life.
My life has totally changed now. Every trip into NYC brings memories of that day, fears of the tunnels I ride through each day on the train and subway, fear everytime the trains stop. Getting around is more difficult now, and people are still walking around looking shell-shocked. Every day I see the "Missing" posters on street lights, then open my newspaper and read obituaries about the same missing persons. Life will never be the same.
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Lisa | 41 | New York
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