A Dozen Years
On this day, twelve years ago, I woke up and clicked on the TV, as usual. I had Today on, and when I looked at the screen I saw a huge plume of smoke coming from one of the Trade Center towers. I assumed there was a fire in the building, then I heard someone say that a plane had hit it. As I watched, the second tower was hit, and the chilling thought that this was no accident began to form. Then the almost unbelieveable announcement that a plane had hit the Pentagon came over the airwaves. I stared stunned at what was happening, trying to make sense of it......and then I heard the word 'Pittsburgh'. A plane had crashed "outside of Pittsburgh"! The name Shanksville didn't ring a bell, but I soon found that it was only about 6 miles from the camp I used to work at.
I sat glued to the TV watching tragedy unfold.....my main thought was 'this CAN'T be happening!' If I didn't know better, I'd have thought I was watching a movie with really excellent special effects.
I spent the day not more than a few feet from a TV. Even long after my brain had gone numb I watched....and watched....
I went outside and was surprised to see a beautiful blue sky....I almost expected that huge cloud of black smoke in New York to be spread over my own house.
In the late afternoon, a fighter jet flew over............it was the last plane I saw for a long time. That's something I'll never forget....we have a lot of planes fly over on their way to PGH airport, and that silence in the sky for the next week or so was very eerie and disconcerting.
I didn't lose any of my friends or family on that day, and I'm thankful for that. My prayers today are for those who did.
I sat glued to the TV watching tragedy unfold.....my main thought was 'this CAN'T be happening!' If I didn't know better, I'd have thought I was watching a movie with really excellent special effects.
I spent the day not more than a few feet from a TV. Even long after my brain had gone numb I watched....and watched....
I went outside and was surprised to see a beautiful blue sky....I almost expected that huge cloud of black smoke in New York to be spread over my own house.
In the late afternoon, a fighter jet flew over............it was the last plane I saw for a long time. That's something I'll never forget....we have a lot of planes fly over on their way to PGH airport, and that silence in the sky for the next week or so was very eerie and disconcerting.
I didn't lose any of my friends or family on that day, and I'm thankful for that. My prayers today are for those who did.