mark and i were newly married, living in alexandria, va
i had stayed home from work because i was sick
the weather was perfect, and all the windows in our house were open
i was getting ready to leave for the doctors
when the phone rang
it was mark, calling to tell me that the twin towers had been struck in NYC
he said they were saying terrorists
that word was unfamiliar, and didn't carry weight
i tried to process, but didn't have the categories
he told me to turn on the radio--we had no tv
minutes later, an explosion nearly shook our house
my thought was, "Oh God, DC is being bombed"
the phone rang, and it was mark again
telling me that a plane had just crashed into the pentagon
i had heard, and almost felt it, he could see the smoke from his office building
he told me to get in the car now, and pick him up
i flew out of the house, feeling so exposed
i literally ran to the car, like there were snipers in our trees
i got to his office in record time
and we were on the highway, heading north to my parents within minutes
of the pentagon being struck
we missed the crazy gridlock of the thousands fleeing DC
we spent the day with my family
watching with sadness and disbelief the unfolding events
we drove home that night--the roads were a ghost town
we passed the still burning pentagon
and could smell the smoke from it at our house for many days afterwards
it's all so vivid still
and yet, today i'm aware of the many whose lives were
tragically and irreversibly impacted--
of the innocent lives lost--
of the men and woman who responded to the call of duty--
literally laid down their lives for strangers
and of the many whom i have recently learned are suffering
from very serious health issues
from the time that they spent doing search, rescue and clean-up
after these tragedies
i am sad
and i am praying for the friends and families of those lost
and for those who are still suffering today
GOD BLESS AMERICA
