What Were You Doing?

Do you remember what you were doing seven years ago today? Does that day linger in your memory, like it does mine? Are the details of that day as clear as yesterday's?

I remember what I was doing that day. I had gotten the kids off to school, and was chatting with a friend on MSN when she asked me if I was watching TV. I wasn't. I hadn't even turned it on yet.

I went to the TV and turned it on. The picture that appeared was one I couldn't believe. There stood the World Trade Center, the first building on fire. It was chaos. The reporters didn't know what was happening. Something was said about an airplane or a bomb. It wasn't quite clear. You could hear people screaming, but it wasn't clear where the screaming was coming from. Maybe in the streets below the World Trade Center. Maybe from inside the World Trade Center. Probably both.

As I stood there staring at the TV, I saw the second plane. I saw it come in from the side and smash into the second tower, a ball of flames and smoke appearing instantly. It suddenly became clear as to what had happened to the first tower. Both towers were on fire. People were jumping out of windows. Papers and office supplies were floating through the air. Nobody knew yet why the planes ran into the towers.

It wasn't long before we heard about the Pentagon and the plane that crashed in the field. And it wasn't long before we realized we were under attack.

I never did go back to the computer that day. I sat and watched the events as they unfolded. I'm not an emotional person. I don't cry easily, but I cried that day. Sitting alone in my house, I cried for all those poor souls. How they must have suffered. And I cried for their families. The husbands and wives and children that lost their loved ones. I cried, and then I was angry. Angry that I couldn't do anything about it. Angry that someone could do something like this. When the rest of my family came home that afternoon, I hugged them all and told them that I loved them. The children knew what was happening. They had been watching the coverage at school. I just hugged them and was thankful to be where we were.

Today, the memories are still fresh. I still feel sad, and I'm still angry. I still feel sorry for all those people and the families they left behind. It was so senseless. It didn't have to happen.

Do you remember what you were doing that day?