Michele’s photo essay got me thinking. (go look at it, it’s worth your time)

On that fateful morning, Jim dropped the kids off at school. Travis was in first grade, Haley in preschool. He came home as he wasn’t due into work until 11. When he got home, I was checking my email, getting ready to start my day and Jim sat down to watch the news in the living room. I heard him say “Oh my God, a plane just hit the World Trade Center!”. I got up and went into the living room to watch the news with him. I remember asking him if planes were allowed to fly that close to the towers… He said he didn’t think so. I said, “This can’t be an accident.” Seconds later, the second plane hit. As I write these words, I can’t help crying again.

The things that I felt that day are here.

When I went home (to Long Island) in December of 2002, everyone asked me if I wanted to go to Ground Zero and I did want to go, but I just couldn’t. I went to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, I went to the Museum of Natural History, I rode the subway, took a cab, went to my Father’s apartment on East 86th. But I just couldn’t go look into the pit where those two buildings stood. Where all those people died. I just couldn’t. My husband was an electrician before I met him. His father was an electrician and Jim easily got into the union in the equivalent of a legacy. He did the telephone wiring on building 7. When that building went down (was it the next day, the day after that?) he took it more personally then I’ve ever seen him take anything.

I grew up in the shadow of those buildings. The town that I’m from (Rockville Centre) lost so many people. My cousin was in one of the towers at 7:30 a.m. replacing a pane of glass, he left around 8 o’clock to go to the Empire State Building to do a job there. His father called his cell phone after the second plane hit. “I’m ok Dad” he said, “I’m at the Empire State Building”.
My Uncle Joe yelled at him, “Get the $*!*# out of there Joe, they could be hitting there next!” Really, no one had any idea what would or could happen. Our entire world was turned upside down that day. It still hasn’t been righted.

I don’t know when I’ll go back to New York again, I don’t know that when I do go back I’ll make it to the site where the Twin Towers once stood.

It is OK to use my photos or content provided a link back and proper crediting is given