(via Huffington Post; click to enlarge)
This is the first photo I've found that shows where I was standing that day. (On the roof of that little orangey apartment tower to the right of the Empire State building.) We had just moved back to NYC that July and were were temporarily renting an apartment on 26th and 6th. I was six months pregnant. Piero was in Los Angeles for the Latin Grammy Awards and I slept in that morning, only waking up when the telephone rang. It was my sister in Michigan. "Turn on the television. What's happening?" she cried.
I took the elevator up to the roof and joined a group of people who were standing, shell-shocked, at the sight in front of them. Smoke billowed from the towers. I went back down to get my portable radio and when I came back up, the first tower had fallen. We listened to the reports of a plane hitting the Pentagon and another one crashing in Pennsylvania. The second tower fell. Fighter planes flew overhead. Looking down, all the cars coming from downtown were covered in debris. A tattooed construction worker next to me began to cry.
To to those who lost loved ones that day, to those who courageously volunteered with the recovery efforts and to those around the world who wept with us, my heart breaks again, remembering.
14 comments:
This post brought me to tears. Thank you for writing it.
Best,
Gigi
Thanks Lisa...so important to remember, and to pay respect to those who lost their lives, and the families and friends they left behind.
I was supposed to go to the city and my daughter (then baby) had spit up on me and I had to change...and then a call came and I heard tears.
That day will never be forgotten - nor all the innocent victims.
pve
pray 4 all of us and and all who suffered
I still get tears in my eyes thinking of that day and all the innocent lives lost. Thank you for writing such a beautiful post.
I cannot even imagine the horror and sadness of being in NYC on that dreadful day. It was painful enough being miles away. My heart is with the families today. It must be such an awful anniversary.
my blood runs cold and i get chills all over again remembering this horrific morning ... i had just walked into my office at work when someone said that the united states was under attack ... i was so scared for everyone ...
in canada, the assault on our neighbours was stunning and hurtful ... i remember sitting with my husband and children watching the news that evening ~ even the little guys were incredibly solemn ~ they sensed the magnitude of this as much as we could all comprehend ...
we did indeed weep with you and will always remember,
prairiegirl
My niece (7 1/2 years old at the time) was in school that morning 2 blocks away from the towers. My brother had just dropped her off and was back at home when the first plane hit. A family friend at the school walked her home across the bridge (it took 4 hours). She saw unimaginable horrors that she is just now beginning to process. It has had a huge impact on my brother and his family that has changed them forever. Today, my heart is with M as she struggles to deal with things no child should ever experience.
Lisa, our children must be almost the same age, as I was pregnant too, about 4 mos. along. Even though we here on the west coast were considered to be somewhat removed from the horror, it was all too real, and the memory of that (early, for us) morning is very fresh.
I taught Freshman Comp. at the time, but was new at it, and was at such a loss for any words, wise or other, for the bewildered & stunned students in my class that day. (No, classes were not canceled, which seems very strange in retrospect.)
I was in Brooklyn with my husband and 2 children ages 2 yrs and 2 months . We watched in horror. Then the news that The Pentagon was being attacked, soon the sound of fighter jets. It was so surreal, the world was changed forever. That evening we met some friends in the playground in Parkslope just to get out of the house with the children. I'll never forget the huddles of people on the street, weeping, hugging each other, strangers brought together by tragedy. As our boys played on the swings small feathers started drifting in the air all around us ..... it was debris, pieces of charred paper floating in the evening light. I still feel physically ill when I think about it. Friends of friends never came home. My prayers are with them all. Thanks for posting about this in such a thoughtful way. We will never forget. x Helen
It still feels just like yesterday to me too, half way around the world, two children later. I know people don't like to dwell but sometimes I am concerned that people are not remembering enough.
Over here in Oz, I was watching late night TV and the news bulletins started rolling in. I remember waking my partner and us both watching in puzzlement. It was like we couldn't get that it was actually happening. Then as the news coverage continued the horror sank in. Best wishes to those still mending their lives.
Lisa,
This was just breathtaking, thank you.
I am grateful to know such a thoughtful and heartfelt woman. Thank you for continuing to be an inspiration to me.
xx
ryann
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