This Day in History

I started this blog in 2004; on 9/11 of that year I posted this:

Three years ago today, Rachel and I dropped off Hannah and Stephanie at preschool and went back to her house with Matty and Pete for some tea and chit-chat while the boys pushed trucks around the playroom. Soon enough Rachel's husband called and told us to turn on the TV immediately. We remained glued to the set for the next several hours (during which time, Rachel at last heard from her Wall St. brother, who was safe and healthy). The boys were just toddlers, so we could leave the news on the whole time without their noticing anything. I can just barely conjure up my feelings of disbelief and shock and fear and confusion. At last we had to go back to get the girls at preschool, and two things stand out in my memory. First, I had forgotten that Stephanie was wearing a T-shirt of the Manhattan skyline (her choice that morning), so the Twin Towers were staring me in the face as I tried to be brave and cheerful. Second, the preschool director informed us that we should be on the lookout for any children who might be upset because the preschool's pet dove (yes, dove!) had died suddenly that morning.

The rest is all a blur, although I do recall thinking in those first few scary days and weeks, "What if I have to give birth in a dark basement, all alone?" (I was 8 months pregnant with Julie at the time.) I ended up being grateful that I didn't dare turn on the news anytime Stephanie was around, as I was spared at least some of the nonstop soul-numbing images and commentary during that time. I am still moved to tears at almost any mention of the victims and their families and the many, many ordinary people who acted in extraordinary ways that day.

Now I'm watching the History Channel, which has some amazing footage I'd never seen before. I'm rewatching that documentary by those French brothers about the NYFD. I'm looking at photos like these and weeping. I'm thinking of my cousin, who was in one of the towers but got out in time—and just ran and ran until he couldn't run anymore. And of course I'm thinking of those who didn't get out, and those on the planes (a friend's mom, another friend's sister), and the families of everyone involved.

Pete had to interview me for his history class, and one of the questions was about what I hoped might be accomplished by this ten-year anniversary commemoration. I said that right after 9/11, there was a feeling of unity and pride in this country, but that it had faded over time. Perhaps we can get it back.

Comments

[Elena]

Those are the most spectacular (in a bad way) photos I have ever seen. Speechless!