9/11...your thoughts About This Page:

[rescuesk]

I think about it often, as it affected me deeply. I had friends who evacuated the towers, I have a friend who was a paramedic and on one of the first ambulances in, and I had a friend who still has residual health issues due to being on duty that day. I carry the lessons learned that day with me forever: don't hold grudges, don't ever miss a chance to tell someone you love them and always kiss the ones you love goodbye. You may not get another chance.

[Colexis Mom]

I think about it often. Not daily, but often. While I didn't know anyone personally who died, there were people from my hometown and the town I live in now that did. Being right in the middle between Boston and NYC, I remember exactly where I was when it happened. And driving down to Long Island, going over the bridge and looking at the city has never been the same without the towers there.

[Shelley the Pooh]

We live in TX and I don't think about it daily but it is never far from my thoughts. Life changed in a big way for all of us that day, how we think about daily life and routines are forever changed by those incidents that day.

For example, its opening weekend for the NFL. Being a season ticket holder I am always nervous while attending our hometown football games. I can smuggle all kinds of things into the stadium (drink wise) which means anyone could walk in there and take us all out. Security at our particular stadium is a joke and if anyone wanted to take out thousands of people at once on an anniversary ~ well anyways ~ it doesn't keep me locked up in my house, I will be there (at the game) standing proud and brave on 9/11, honoring the fallen, praying for the living and hoping we never have to witness something as horrific as the events of 9/11 again.

Oh and I hated flying before 9/11 and haven't gotten on a plane since 9/11.

[Mares75]

I think about it fairly often. Mostly because we live about 20 miles from O'Hare and Midway airports. Seems far but the planes start lining up and descending over our house. You can see how they all start getting lined up even this far out. They're low enough you can tell what airline it is sometimes, especially Southwest. Occasionally you hear when it sounds like the engines are slowing down or whatever that noise is and it always makes me think of it.

[tinker_me_happy]

Originally Posted by kimberlym322

I pray everyday for everyone in the world...I don't know if it is right to pray for the higher ups to drop a brick on the heads of wrong doers....AKA like the ones that made 9/11 happen....but I do. Life is too short to hate and blame others for things. You never know what the next minute, hour, or day will bring, so you have to live each day to the fullest...tell the people you love that you love them everyday, because you may not get the chance to do it again. Just like most of you I do not know...but I know yous from reading the boards and I pray for each of you and your family’s to be safe...I cry when something happens in your life that is not good and jump for joy when the good happens.

Take care everyone and have a good weekend.

AGREE Kimberley!! Life is too short to hate!!! Does that mean I like or agree with the wrong doers? NO. But that does not mean continuing the hate cycle is the way to go either!

As for me, I think about what happened on 9/11/2001 from time to time. Those events changed history. It changed lives. It was tragic. I work with people who were at ground zero on one of the DMAT teams. I live outside of Boston - it is hard NOT to think about it on a regular basis. But for ME, the date 9/11 will ALWAYS first and foremost be my cousin's BIRTHDAY. That is a day of BLESSING in our lives! It is a day of joy and celebration. I know it is a day of pain and sadness and loss for many. I do not mean to minimize that pain for anyone. I just can not live my life dwelling on the negative. We can not undo the past. There are many days of loss and suffering that I have been a part of personally, professionally and "culturally". In my area, we had a great loss when 6 firefighters died in a cold storage fire several years ago. It made WORLD WIDE NEWS, but I'm sure very few outside of this area even remember it. Those losses are just as relevant as the ones lost on 9/11/01. No more or less important. The same as the military men and women whose names you never hear on the news who give up their lives in service to their country. Or the little six year old girl who died after being ripped from her car seat, ejected from the back end of a minivan and killed on the side of a road because some truck driver decided not to yield.
Again I don't want people to think I don't care. I do. But when I think about that day, I try to remember the people who were heros, both grand and small. Those who made the news, and those who did not. Those who carried ON after and kept LIVING! I try to remember the blessings of what we HAVE, not just what we have lost.

[Tigger71]

Even those of us who live a great distance away have daily reminders of this tragic event...My eldest DS's birthday is 9 Nov and in Australia we write that date as 9/11...I think of all those people every time I write/read his birthdate.

My family loves to travel and our country is an island. A trip by plane is the only way to 'quickly' get to another country and all the hassles of air travel these days makes me think the badies won - we live and travel in fear!

My DH has been taking flying lessons (only small planes for now but aiming for the commercial planes) and he is constantly told of the "before & after" 9/11...

We just don't seem to be able to go a day unaffected even though I personally did not know anybody involved. Our lives have all changed and we will never forget...

[DisneyFanAnn]

DH and I live in "middle america" as a lot of coastal people would refer to it and we think of it often. We are from NYC and it's never far from our hearts. Middle America is very much aware

[NanaTink]

I lived/live in the DC area and worked/work on Pennsylvania Ave...halfway between the White House and the Capital. DH worked/works at the Pentagon. I think of it and remember each and every day. It's part of me. Part of my job is to monitor news. I was half watching that day when they reported that the first plane hit, and I knew tho was no accident. I stood there with others and watched the second plane hit, then the Pentagon. Thank goodness DH was in Jax on business and not in the Pentagon that day. DC emptied while we worked and watched the news all day long into the night. We kept hearing about the 'fifth plane' heading for DC....we kept working. I walked out of our building at 9:30 at night to an absolutely empty Penn Ave, except for one lonely policeman standing in the middle of the intersection. He came over and walked me across the street, chatting about the stars and the clear sky...anything but the horror the day had brought. The Metro was empty, I was the only rider and my train took me through the deserted Pentagon station without stopping...I could smell the smoke...it was the spookiest thing and is indelibly imprinted on my heart. I and the others in my office worked 18-20 hour days 7 days a weeks for the next month.

Then I went on a much-needed leave....to a long-awaited previously booked first trip to WDW. And I fell in love, and I found the magic and the spark to begin crawling out of that hole I had put myself (and my family) into. We decided that life is short, there is no guarantees, you have to make the most of the time you are given. I never leave my family or end a phone call with them without saying I love you...maybe that will be my last chance.

I go to the Pentagon each day to meet DH for our commute home...and I watch the planes come in and land at National Airport...sometimes it seems that they are too low or too fast....there is a momentary feeling of fear, even now, 10 years later. Or I hear the noise of fighter jets over DC....no planes are supposed to be flying over DC. Or it's a beautiful September morning, not too hot and the sky a brilliant blue just as it was that morning....

I still work in the same job, and that job brings it all back to me each and every day, It's the nature of my work. But I know at the end of the day, I will go home to my loved ones, I will go to Disney again and I will feel that magic again. Disney has become for us a mecca, a promise, that even in the darkest days you can smile again, you will laugh again and there is still magic in the world.

[notjustamom]

I sincerely thank you all for your heartfelt thoughts. In no way was I implying that not thinking about it daily means not caring. It was just something me & DH have talked about many times over these last 10 years. My thougts & prayers to everyone who suffered a loss that day. God Bless

[Basketballmom]

I too often think about 9/11. Even though I live in eastern Oregon which is many, many miles from NYC it has had an impact in our lives. We lost "one of our own" in the Pentagon that day. It was the start of our annual Pendleton Round-Up and the difficult decision was made that day to "go on with the show." Our announcer Justin McKee stated "The terrorists have stolen lives and tried to steal our freedom today. We're not going to let them rob from us any more." Never before have I felt the love for our Country as strong as it was that day. One year later in 2002 our Round-up started with the singing of the National Anthem and as the final notes ended two Air Force jets completed a fly by over the arena which ended with the playing of Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue." I will guarantee you that many tears were shed again that day.

Myself, three other moms and 8 kids all under the age of 12 also had a trip to Disneyland six weeks after this terrible tragedy. We had many discussions with our husbands and kids about this trip and should we go or not. We made the choice to go, have fun and not let these terrorists ruin our visit to our happy place. What a trip we had!!! Many memories were made on that trip yet the events of 9/11 and those who lost their lives were not forgotten as it was due to them that we were allowed to have our memorable visit.

It is a day I will never forget.....

[WeRDisneyFanatics]

I think about it often. My DH works in NYC and that day he was at a meeting out of his office and I had no idea what part of the city he was in. Thankfully he was able to get in touch with me and I remember waiting 14 long hours for him to get out of the city and home. I was one of the lucky ones.

I remember how scared I was the first time he went back into the city (his office closed for the rest of that week). I must've told him a million times to "be safe" and I still say that every single morning to this day. About two months after 9/11 he flew to San Fran on business and I was a complete wreck. I remember pleading with him to promise he'd get off the plane if anything looked suspicious.

My heart goes out to the many that are still suffering. Looking at the images on TV today it is clear that time does not heal all wounds. We have tickets to visit the memorial this Saturday.

[Charlie97]

The images that remain in mind of that day; in flipping between CBS and ABC, is how both Dan Rathers and Peter Jennings broke down on national t.v.

These are men whom I have seen my whole life, stoic and emotionless when they reported the news....and to see that. It forever will be etched in my mind.

[NEQB12]

I live in MA and my husband is a firefighter and we have a picture hanging up in our house of the 3 FF's putting the flag up at ground zero. So yes at least once a day I think of it. As much as it gives me nightmares and causes me to not sleep for a few days, I (we) watch all the shows about 9/11. Our DVR has at least 3 that we have not watched yet, but will be soon. I feel like I need to watch them to make sure I don't forget those that died that day. A few nightmares for me is nothing compared to nightmare the families had to go through that day.

Lisa

[bluejn]

its never far from my thoughts but i live in upstate ny