9/11 ten years later

I looked in my journal tonight to see if I had written anything on the day of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and was surprised to find so many of the details having faded from my memory.  I want to make sure I have experiences like this properly recorded for my posterity.  We were living in Williamsburg, VA at the time where TEC was attending law school.  I was teaching at Woodside High School in Newport News, VA.  Here is my journal entry:

Today is a day I never expected would happen...  Early this morning 4 planes were hijacked--in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.  Two planes crashed into the World Trade Centers, which later imploded and collapsed.  A third crashed into the Pentagon, and the fourth in a field in Pennsylvania.

I was at school working my planning period about 9AM.  I heard some teachers talking about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center, but at the time it wasn't known if it was a passenger plane.  Then there was talk of a bomb explosion--so little information was known and the news people were just giving us bits of information as they heard it, not all of which was confirmed.  Right before my next class I heard about the Pentagon.  Some classes had their TVs on and over and over we saw the same incredible pictures.  When they said that the World Trade Center had collapsed, I almost didn't believe it--it was like a movie.

Our principal asked us to conduct our classes as usual and to turn the TVs off so I didn't hear much about it until after school.  It was pretty scary to think about how close we are to all of this.  Many students and teachers were talking about family being up there and not knowing if they were affected.  Several families are involved in the military around here, too, so it really hits home.

Ted and I stayed close to our TV tonight.  President Bush spoke to the nation and condemned the cowardice acts of terrorism as well as the nations that have harbored the terrorists.  I feel very uninformed, but it sounds like a Palestinian extremist is the main suspect.

What scares me is to think how really simple of an act it was--no real weapons or bombs--just 4 planes.  It's unbelievable to think about the number of deaths that happened today.  Just hearing the news stories made me unsettled, confused and emotional.

I'm grateful to be able to turn to God at this time and know that He is in control.  Even though I don't understand why this is all happening, I feel that this nation is blessed and that we will be in God's hands.