I Remember...

...as so many others do where they were, what they were doing, and wondering "why" on this day 8 years ago. I was driving to work and the news on the radio said that a plane had crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. It seemed to be maybe a small personal-type plane that had had some sort of accident. I said something about it when I got to work, and not long after that more news on the radio was reporting that another plane had hit the other tower and it was certainly no accident. My boss' daughter was in the air that day, she was flying to Newark to catch a connecting flight for a vacation abroad. Needless to say, her flilght was grounded, but until we heard where and that she was safe, it was a tense time. Kurt happened to have the day off and spent it glued to the TV (no children were neglected--the little boys weren't born yet and the big kids were in school!) so when I got home I told him I knew he had seen it all, but all I'd had was radio traffic so we spent the night channel-surfing in stunned silence.
I remember blood donors everywhere rolling up their sleeves to give a pint. In New York alone over 36,000 pints were collected. 258 pints were actually used.
I remember the pictures of hospitals with staff waiting in full garb at the ER doors ready and waiting for the patients and victims to arrive for treatment. And how un-busy those teams were.
I remember the face of President Bush as an aide leaned over to whisper in his ear to tell him of the attacks. The President paused with the children's story book in his hands as he listened.
I remember the crushed police cars and fire engines parked outside of the scene.
I remember the walls of fliers and photos placed by family members desperate for news of their loved ones who had left for work that mornings.
I remember seeing the first casualty of the FDNY being carried away from the scene on a chair by his brothers. The chaplain for the department.
I remember seeing countless news clips about Mayor Giuliani attending funeral after funeral for the fallen rescuers. Many accounts put that number at 200.
I remember reading articles about the wives of victims who were expecting children that will never know their fathers. A small number of those children had fathers who didn't even know they were on the way.
I remember the CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald saying "700 families. Cantor Fitzgerald lost 700 families today"
I remember seeing firefighters running into those buildings as citizens were running out.
I remember firefighters stopping their search and rescue efforts just long enough to receive communion stemming from a brothers funeral.

I remember...