Like many other Americans, I have been remembering the few days before and after 9/11/01. I have decided I need to put them down in print so the future generations will understand what we talk about when it is mentioned.
June 22, 2001, I was installed as President of the CPW (now Cumberland Presbyterian Women’s Ministry) Convention. That position involved travel to the various Presbytery CPW meetings across the denomination - something different for me because I had only traveled with family up to that time.
My first scheduled Presbytery CPW meeting involved my first airplane flight. I arrived at the Barkley Regional Airport, Paducah, KY early in the morning of September 7 for the first leg of my flight. After arriving at the Memphis airport, I boarded a plane for Shreveport, LA, where my host for the weekend, Rosemary McGrill met me. I won’t go into the weekend events here; they are not relevant to this memory.
To digress a bit, on the flight from Paducah to Memphis, a group of women from Paducah was headed to New York City for a business conference was also on that flight. One of the women (a young woman) was visibly terrified. She was crying uncontrollably and gripping the back of the set in front of her. This was her first flight also. Finally, I turned to her and tried to comfort her by telling her we would be okay. (I was excited and a little anxious myself, but more excited because I was experiencing something new.) She asked me how many times I had flown; I said this was my first. She spit out “Well, you aren’t any comfort because you don’t know that for a fact!” The other ladies had to take charge of her at the Memphis airport; I wondered how they would get her on the next flight to New York City. (I later learned she made a call from New York City after the attack and had her husband drive up to get her and the other ladies because they could not get a flight back. I don't know if she has ever flown again or not.)
Back to my story. I repeated the flight in reverse on Sunday afternoon, September 9, 2001. I remember calling my granddaughter, Brittney, while I was waiting to board the Shreveport airport; it was her birthday. I got back to Paducah about 7:30 P.M. and drove home.
Fast forward to Tuesday morning, September 11, about 8:00 A.M. - only thirty-six and one-half hours later. I was dressing to go bowling; as usual, I had the Today Show on the TV. I saw the first image of the plane hitting the World Trade Center. I ran into the bedroom to make sure Russ was seeing it, too. We both had a hard time getting dressed that morning because we kept stopping in front of the TV. Before I left home, the second plane had hit. That just confirmed my suspicions that the first was not an accident, but intentional. By this time, all other segments of the news show were preempted. At the bowling alley, we would throw our ball and then return to the spot where we could watch the TV. It was there we heard the story of United Flight 93. It was a day that we did not care about our scores or who won or lost. We were focused on the fact our beloved nation had been attacked on our own soil.
The rest of that week is difficult to describe. In fact, most of it is a blur. I remember churches having prayer vigils; I remember TV stations constantly showing reporters around the nation, especially at what we now call Ground Zero, and normal programing nonexistent. I remember even the children’s networks were off the air for a while and children did not have the normalcy they needed. My own granddaughter, Danielle, who was a couple of weeks away from her 4th birthday, said to me “Memee is watching bad things on the TV and crying all the time.” VCR tapes were a blessing for parents and babysitters trying to keep the children occupied while we kept up with the latest news.
President Bush ordered all flights grounded, and fighter jets were the only planes allowed in the skies. Many gas stations ran out of gas, and the others raised their prices. Panic seemed to be the norm in business and society in general.
I had another Presbyterial CPW meeting scheduled on Saturday, September 15. This one was for Robert Donnell Presbytery in Huntsville, AL. Russ decided to take half a day off and drive me there. That was one of the most eerie drives I have ever experienced! We drove to Nashville on I-24 and then I-65 toward Huntsville. These are major arteries of our highway system. There were times we would not be able to see another vehicle for miles. Occasionally we would see a fighter jet overhead. We were able to get gas when we needed it, but made sure we did not get too close to empty (the usual way Russ normally did) before doing so. The return trip was similar.
I did not have another meeting to attend for a couple of weeks. By that time, things had eased as far as travel was concerned. However, even now, ten years later, we still are reminded of what did happen and can happen again when we board planes. Now we have a search of our luggage and personal scans we are subjected to.
Life has become stable again, but not the same way it was before that life changing morning on September 11, 2001. We Americans lost our complacency on that day; we Americans lost some of our innocence that day. We Americans learned that we would not be protected just because of whom we are.
It seemed the entire nation drew closer to God and their faith - but sadly only for a while. As memories of that fateful day have dimmed, many have returned to their former lifestyles. I truly hope and pray it does not take another incident such as September 11, 2001, to bring them back to God again.
The following is a quote I found when searching for an image to include here. I do not know the author’s name, but I echo the sentiment.
“The events of September 11, 2001 changed the world forever. May the victims rest in peace and may their families find peace and comfort.
I could have never imagined hijacked planes being used as missiles bringing down the Twin Towers killing innocent people, as I watched in disbelief this event unfold live on television.
I couldn't help, but think of the hatred and anger in people's hearts that cause them to carry out such heinous acts of terror and violence. On the other hand following the attacks, I was touched by the outpouring of love, from people from all walks of life, as they reached out to support one another in solidarity and unity.”
