Where Were You?

Seven Years ago today, the entire world stood still, held its breath and watch as the most devastating and dramatic terrorist attack in modern history unfolded before our very eyes.

As with the bombing of Pearl Harbor was to the Lost Generations and the Kennedy Assassination was to the Baby Boomers, X-ers and Y-ers now ask "where were you when..."

Today is a day of reflection, remembrance and prayers. I will share my story, but this is really about you and your stories and thoughts. Where were you?

Please post.

I was in Denver, Colorado attending a week-long seminar for my job and I was to head home Tuesday, September 11th. My plane was scheduled to take off at 730 in the morning, Mountain Time. I was standing in the baggage check line, groggy with my carry-on over my shoulder, my suitcase in one hand, a Starbucks in the other.

I remember on the right side of the cue was a row of television screens which showed arrivals and departures; on the left side, a row of televisions were playing The Today Show. I was making small conversation with an elderly woman in front of me - chatter about how early it was, did the sun really come up that early, we need stronger coffee. I don't recall her name.

At approximately 6:55, the man behind me uttered under his breath, something similar to "Just what I need to see before I get on a plane." He pointed to the left t.v's with images of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in NYC drenched in smoke.

No one thought terrorism. No one thought anything other than an accident, or at worst, a drunken pilot.

We stood there, watching occasionally.

Twenty Minutes after the first tower was hit, the elderly woman in front of me screamed - literally screamed - and I looked up in time to see the South Tower engulfed in flames.

I was fully awake now and all I could do - all we all could do - was stand there with our mouths agape. After a few minutes, I looked over to the right t.v.s and saw the itineraries of incoming and outgoing flights all read "delayed" as every flight in America got out of the air; no one was going anywhere.

Getting home was a chore and I will save that for another day. But as I remembered, I prayed that day, as I do today, for the lives that were lost and the families who were left behind.

Though we can may debate the outcome of what happened that day or the correct way to retaliate - or even about retaliation itself - though we may be desensitized now, we may be angry, we may be numb - though we may be more spiritual or less, more patriotic or less, more cynical or less, more afraid or less - we pause to remember those who were lost on the day America changed forever.