15 years ago today, I was heading out my back door at 8am for a run.
In the ONE hour that followed, and my return home .. the tragic events of 9/11 are forever etched in my mind.

May they R I P


~M~

A horrible day! We must not forget.

I'll never forget this day. It was eerily quiet here with no air traffic.

But the good news is it's my niece's birthday today!! She turns 12.

A day to mourn all the lives lost. Rest in peace.

Hard to believe it's been 15 years already. A sad tragic day that changed things very much for people here.

For 15 years, I have been inconsolably sad on this date.

Same here. It's a day that makes it hard to smile.

In the Rose Forum we feature a Rose of the Day on holidays. Today we had four Roses of the Day.

zuzu said:So far, about a dozen roses have been named in memory of the victims and heroes of the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001. We have photos of four of them in our database, and they are our Roses of the Day.

Firefighter honors the 343 New York City firefighters who died on that day.

• Rose (Rosa 'Firefighter')
• Uploaded by RoseBlush1

Soaring Spirits honors the victims of the Twin Towers attacks.

• Rose (Rosa 'Soaring Spirits')
• Uploaded by zuzu

We Salute You honors the victims of the Pentagon bombing.

• Rose (Rosa 'We Salute You')
• Uploaded by jon

Nicole Carol Miller was one of the heroes of Flight 93.

• Rose (Rosa 'Nicole Carol Miller')
• Uploaded by zuzu

Deeply moved by the sentiments and memories of those of us that watched in horror that day ..

May it NEVER happen again!

~M~

It's strange how clearly we remember times like this. I was sitting at my desk and my secretary came in and told me that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. The first details were sketchy and of course I'm thinking a small private plane I couldn't have imagined the horror that would unfold.

Two months later I had to fly into Washington, and as we were landing I could see the hole in the Pentagon. I got all choked up and thought I was going to be sick. You can't imagine how horrible that felt. I had a colleague who's sister was killed in the Pentagon. After getting off the plane, I remember walking down the hallways of the airport and being able to hear my foot steps on the hard floors, seeing armed guards and only a few other people. It really felt creepy, gave me goose bumps. I sure hurried out of there and jumped on the Metro to get out of there.

The whole atmosphere of Washington DC was palpably different then normal. Maybe that was just in my head, but it sure seemed somewhat muted. A group of us went to Mount Vernon to tour it, and there were so few visitors that we got a really personal tour. Got to go into places that normally visitors can't go into. I thing the tour guides were desperate for something to do. It will be forever burned into my memory.

I remember. Only reason I had the TV on that morning was because I'd gotten up early to get ready for volunteer training at a nature center. It's etched in memory, never will forget. My emotions were all over the place...horror, fear, grief, anger, etc. So many of our own people...just gone, for no sane or rational reason at all! Others wounded. The world used to make more sense. I've had to accept that it never will. Just an era of partial insanity.

I tend to think we were like 'babes in the woods' prior to 9/11.
Everyone scurrying along, going here and there with NO FEAR .. not a second thought about getting on an aircraft, or, going to work in a building be it office or school ..
I find now I have a barrier set .. I am more cognisant of my surroundings, and, 'I PAY ATTENTION'!
My post 9/11 'me', is changed forever ..

~M~

Be aware of your surroundings, but don't let the bad guys win...don't stop doing what you would normally do.

As much as I would like to, I am hesitant .. I fly a few times a year .. security is heightened at airports, and people tend to NOT smile, but, scowl ..I am a consummate 'smiler'.

Being a nurse also makes me a 'people person' .. hmmmm .. not so much anymore when I travel ..

Making a valiant attempt at 'normalcy' ...

~M~

I was with an entire gym of patients mainly seniors with COPD and other "breathtaking" conditions.

I had two ceiling mounted TVs on...something for them to watch while biking or on one of the machines...the gym is noisy with equipment and chatter and so no sound... and suddenly there was the plane silently moving against that beautiful blue NYC sky......

That room full of people working so hard to get well...veterans among the many...realizing what they were witnessing...remembering their youthful wartime experiences... some having lost brothers and fathers....

I won't ever forget the horror on the screen nor the look of utter sadness and devastation on the faces of my patients.

I don't know if you can load this -- if the link will work.. but it is a beautiful tribute held in NYC

https://www.facebook.com/Bette...

I sat on the floor and cried, in total horror. Both sons then in highschool were home. I watched it affect their view of their world. That felt like a tragedy too.

Laurie, I SO hear you .. my grandson had just been born and, my granddaughter was 3 .. I thought I would never see them again ..

I will Never forget that day. I was walking my collie Bailey and I saw the first plane hit , I thought it was a small plane
ran in the house to call my now EX husband as he worked in LIC ( longIslandCity) they went up on a piece of equipment and
witnessed a tower falling , They were locked down in NY til the next day.

I had a friend Ernie that lost his niece , another Frank who's daughter lost her husband , and my very special friend in the SS
(SecretService)was by the grace of God saved just minor cuts > Our Fire dept lost it's Chaplin and two firemen. I can't think of that day without tears it will always be etched in my memory . We moved to Va not long after ..

We need to never forget

Shannon we all felt that loss as a nation but it seems you had an extra special dose of pain and sadness. I am so sorry for that. 💔