I had just returned from a week of training in New York... The date was September 8,2001. I love the city...from Time Square to Battery Park... Grabbing a cab and heading to the Village..shopping, eating, dancing... oh and working. New York is an amazing city that never sleeps. I was staying at the Marriott Financial right in the heart of the financial district... every morning I would walk through the World Trade Center on my way to 26th and Broadway.. just two blocks from Wall Street.
The last night of my stay I was going to meet a friend for dinner at Windows on the World... the restaurant on the top of the World Trade Center... known for it's incredible menu and breath taking view of the city. Around 6:30 that night we decided to stay in, a nasty thunderstorm had detoured us.. I thought next time I'm back I'm going to make that a priority... I knew I was coming back in November... I had spent many a birthday's in New York... meeting up with my dad, seeing old friends, taking in Rockefeller Center, Radio City, shopping and of course watching the ice skaters and taking in the National Christmas tree... all that would have to wait... I had to get home and back to my kids in Arizona....
I've been asked a lot... do you remember where you were on 9/11? the answer is always yes.... I sure do. I was getting ready for work watching TV when the first plane hit... I remember calling my sister and asking her if she was watching the same thing I was.... it was just minutes later the second plane hit... I remember siting down in shock.. one plane could surely be an accident... but two... it never occurred to me that someone would deliberately fly a plane into the World Trade Center.. What was happening? The huge fire balls, the thick black cloud of smoke covering miles, watching the complete chaos of those scrambling to help and those desperate to escape the burning inferno. I quickly called my office... the Phoenix office would be opening as usual... however the markets would remain closed for days. I remember driving to work that morning... my route was right along the glide path for Sky Harbor which is an insanely busy route at all hours of the day... every 90 seconds a plane is taking off and landing... it's not uncommon to see 3 sometimes 4 planes stacked as they wait their turn on final approach... 9/11 Tuesday morning was different... eerily there were no planes taking off or landing.. it was if the whole world had come to a stand still...
My thoughts turned to those people working in the towers, from the financial institutions to the retail shops and restaurants below. Windows on the World was gone.. wiped out.. never to be again. What was happening to them.. I then thought about all of the little shops, eatery's, family businesses, coffee shops that all call the Trade Centers home.... I felt sick and scared...I remember watching President Bush at the elementary school and thinking my country is under siege.
Our office closed early as we all were trying to grasp what had just happened. Watching the steady stream of news... every station was fixed on the same shots of the trade centers... No one every imagined both would come crashing to the ground below. The human toll would be great...Then as the story unfolded with the Pentagon and Flight 93.... who could ever imagine... those dear souls... their families, their children, their parents...
Each of us carry the scars from that day... stories of bravery...sadness, inspiration and mercy filled the airwaves... Loved one's on those planes being able to call home.. in many cases being able to talk to their wives, parents, and children. Stories of chance... someone missing the train, being stuck in traffic, being carried down 60 flights of steps... No matter how you look at 9/11.. our lives profoundly changed that day.
Today there is the remnant of war, hate and mistrust... There is the debate on building the Mosque at ground zero, while a white minster in the south declared he was going to burn the Koran....
It is my hope for our world... that we as parents teach our children love and tolerance... mercy and compassion... patience and forgiveness... The burden of protecting our borders.. starts within the wall of our own homes. If we teach our children love and acceptance.. it's hard to incite war.. If we teach our children tolerance our communities become stronger... if we teach our children to respect others... we invite opportunities of understanding and lay the foundation for peace.
We as parents have the responsibility and opportunities to make all the difference in the communities in which we live. Our children are just an extension of our values...I learned a life changing lesson on 9/11... Never put off what you really want to accomplish in life today.. never put off your dreams... much like my dinner date for Window's on the World... I can never go back... that opportunity was lost.. As I have moved forward in faith.. I have learned to welcome change, seek out new opportunities while embracing the thunderstorms of life while learning to dance in the rain!
9 years later... I earnestly live by.. ~Being The Change
I Wish To See In The World~...
My wish is for continued paths of growth, opportunities to create positive change and a future generation who are more visionary....
Live with Intensity and Purpose...
Carla
No comments:
Post a Comment