Like everyone, old enough to remember the events of 9/11/2001, I know exactly where I was when I found out about it. My husband and I were living in transition from California to Oregon and I had taken a temporary position as a Customer Service representative at a local bank while we settled into our new surroundings. It was just after 7 a.m. (PST) while he was driving me to work when we heard the newscasters talking about the trade centers and the planes on the radio. I remember thinking this was some kind of bizarre radio stunt - it just didn't seem real. As I listened to the cracking and trembling in the radio announcers voice it became very real. We turned the radio up and drove on in silence for a while trying to let it all sink in.
When I arrived at work I jumped on the phones to help quell the fear of our banking clients who were concerned for their lives and their life savings. It was both sobering and awe inspiring to listen to person after person come to terms with the immense change that had been foisted upon them in a matter of minutes. The days ahead were long and tiring but deeply rewarding as we helped our clients realize that they were not alone and that there life savings were safe.
Through the endless stream of video images and T.V. interviews a picture emerged, not of destruction but of triumph. A picture to strangers realizing they were somehow connected in this amazing world together, and inextricably responsible for caring for one another. The images of people covered in suet and ash leaning and carrying one another from the wreckage, people who only the day before may have never even smiled at each other on the street - these are the images I choose to remember. These are the images that still fill me with awe and inspiration for the immense power of unity that lies within every human spirit. We are ONE nation and for our generation 9-11-2001 proved that better than any other day since.
When I arrived at work I jumped on the phones to help quell the fear of our banking clients who were concerned for their lives and their life savings. It was both sobering and awe inspiring to listen to person after person come to terms with the immense change that had been foisted upon them in a matter of minutes. The days ahead were long and tiring but deeply rewarding as we helped our clients realize that they were not alone and that there life savings were safe.
Through the endless stream of video images and T.V. interviews a picture emerged, not of destruction but of triumph. A picture to strangers realizing they were somehow connected in this amazing world together, and inextricably responsible for caring for one another. The images of people covered in suet and ash leaning and carrying one another from the wreckage, people who only the day before may have never even smiled at each other on the street - these are the images I choose to remember. These are the images that still fill me with awe and inspiration for the immense power of unity that lies within every human spirit. We are ONE nation and for our generation 9-11-2001 proved that better than any other day since.
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