Nine Years Ago...

There is rain this morning. Nine years ago there was no rain. It was blue skies and crisp fall air. I know exactly what I was wearing. I remember the phone call from Richard telling me that The Today Show was reporting a plane had hit The World Trade Center. I recall not being that concerned because it was certainly an accident.

It was not an accident.

The memory of being in my office watching a 13" TV comes back easily to my mind. After adjusting the antenna, Becky and I watched the news coverage. Smoke poured from a deceptively small looking hole that had been punched in one of the WTC Towers. Then it happened. The camera focused on the smoke caught sight and zoomed in on an airplane. Not a Cessena...not a private plane...a commercial jet. We watched as that plane made a very deliberate turn and flew straight into the other tower. We knew. There were no dramatic actions in that room. In fact, I can't really recall, other than telling my boss what I had seen, what happened for the next few minutes. Then, we didn't have time to sit and watch because it was time to go to work.

For the first time in history, a notice such as this was issued...

!FDC 1/9731 FDC SPECIAL NOTICE - DUE TO EXTRADORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES AND FOR REASONS OF SAFETY. ATTENTION ALL AIRCRAFT OPERATORS, BY ORDER OF THE FEDERAL AVATION COMMAND CENTER, ALL AIRPORTS/AIRDROMES ARE NOT AUTHORIZED FOR LANDING AND TAKEOFF. ALL TRAFFIC INCLUDING AIRBORNE AIRCRAFT ARE ENCOURAGE TO LAND SHORTLY.

This was the first FDC special notice issued by the FAA grounding all U.S. flight operations until further notice. No plane could take off. All planes were to land at the closest airport that could handle the aircraft. All inbound international planes were turned away. The United States of America had just lost the ability to travel by air.

The remainder of the day contains many memories. I am sure everyone has memories of that day. Mine have been written down for my children. I also have the one page of notes I took at work as we learned of all the events of the day. Those too have been kept for my children.

September 12 was a Wednesday. I walked into work and saw no activity. Everything was silent. It was the 7th Anniversary of the first day I had arrived at the airport to work. There was little time for any of us to sit and take in all the events. Much had to be done in the new world of air travel that had been issued in the day before.

I would love to tell you that I had a flag and a "God Bless America" sign on my office door. I had a flag. I also had a sign. It was more of a "we're gong to come kill you for doing this" type of sign. Harsh? I didn't think so then. I don't think so now.

If that Tuesday in September taught us anything, it should be that life can change in an instant. We should live our lives to the fullest everyday because it might be the last. We should kneel before Almighty God because He and He alone is our only hope in this world.

I'll end with one of my favorite quotes...

"In time, perhaps, we will mark the memory of September the 11th in stone and metal something we can show children as yet unborn to help them understand what happened on this minute and on this day. But for those of us who lived through these events, the only marker we’ll ever need is the tick of a clock at the 46th ...minute of the eighth hour of the 11th day." ~ President George W. Bush