September 11th memories

Most people remember where they were on September 11, 2001. It’s just one of those things. There are days when I can barely remember what I did the day or week before, but 9/11, even though it was 10 years ago, is still clear in my mind.

I was 17 years old, and in Grade 13 (yes, you read that right, Grade 13 – in my province, up until a few years ago, there were 5 years of high school, the 5th year being basically advanced courses in prep for college/university, and not mandatory). I was in Ms Fanjoy’s marketing class, and Mrs. Glover, the principal, made an announcement over the loud speaker. I can’t remember exactly what she said, but she sounded so somber, my very first thought was that there was a shooter in the school. I think if you were in high school at all during Columbine, that became your worst fear. I know school shootings have happened before and since, but because it had just happened two years before, it was still fresh in most high schoolers’ minds.

The entire class fell silent as the principal told us what had happened in New York City. We were all in shock. I remember a girl saying that she had heard something about it on the radio on the way into school, but she thought it was a hoax. I’m sure there were millions of people all over the world who wished it was just a hoax, and not an actual event that would change the world forever. 

I lived (well, still do) across the street from my high school, and went home every day for lunch with a couple of friends. That day, Suleena (who I’ve been friends with for 23 years, and who remains one of my best friends to this day), Krista and I rushed home to check the news and see what was going on. My mum was home – her office had been out on strike, and when the plane hit the second tower, they were all sent home from the picket line out of respect. She had the TV on, and I remember just standing there, staring, watching the footage. It was so surreal. We’ve all become so desensitized by the media – we see things like that in movies and on TV all the time, so it just looked like something from an elaborate movie set, and not something that was actually happening. The chaos, the fear, it couldn’t possibly be real. But it was, and the world hasn’t been the same since.

9/11 statistics:
Times of impact: 8:46 a.m. and 9:02 a.m. Time the burning towers stood: 56 minutes and 102 minutes. Time they took to fall: 12 seconds. 2,819 dead from 115 different nations. 343 Fireman/paramedics, 23 NYPD, 37 Port Authority officers.

 

"Heaven on earth, we need it now

I'm sick of all of this hanging around

I'm sick of the sorrow,

I'm sick of the pain

I'm sick of hearing again and again

That there's never going to peace on earth"

Last month, I read and reviewed That Day in September, a 9/11 memoir by Artie Van Why. Artie was working in a building across from the towers, and gives his eye witness account of that day and the aftermath. It's a story that will stick with me forever, and I really encourage people to read it, and to feel blessed if they weren't there, and to never forget those who were, those who died, those who were injured, and those who still suffer ten years later. Artie also did a guest post for me, on how writing is a tool for healing.

Book Review: That Day in September by Artie Van Why

Guest post by Artie Van Why: Writing as a tool to heal

"I want to feel sunlight on my face

I see the dust cloud disappear without a trace

I want to take shelter from the poison rain

...

I'll show you a place where there's no sorrow or pain

Where the streets have no name"

What do you remember about that day? Where were you and what were you doing? How did 9/11 affect you personally? I'd love to hear your stories.

Book Review: That Day in September by Artie Van Why

That Day in September by Artie Van Why

88 pages (ebook)

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: June 23rd, 2006

Genre: Memoir

Acquired this book: From the author, in exchange for an honest review

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About That Day in September: We all have our stories to tell of where we were the morning of September 11, 2001. This is one of them. In "That Day In September" Artie Van Why gives an eyewitness account of that fateful morning. From the moment he heard "a loud boom" in his office across from the World Trade Center, to stepping out onto the street, Artie vividly transports the reader back to the day that changed our lives and our country forever. "That Day In September" takes you beyond the events of that morning. By sharing his thoughts, fears, and hopes, Artie expresses what it was like to be in New York City in the weeks and months following. The reader comes away from "That Day In September" with not only a more intimate understanding of the events of that day, but also with a personal glimpse of how one person's life was dramatically changed forever.

My thoughts on That Day in September:

I really don’t know where to begin. I don’t think words can adequately describe the emotions that ran through me while reading this memoir. It was so heartbreaking that parts of it actually took my breath away.

Like many people, I’ve always had a fascination with New York City. I’ve never actually been, but I’ve seen so many movies, TV shows, and read so many books set in the city, that I feel as though I have been. The way Mr. Van Why describes the city, especially the area around the World Trade Centre, makes me wish I could have gone before 9/11 to see it as it was then. I can picture it all as he describes it, and feel his love of the city radiating from the pages.

Then 9/11 happened. The author’s description of the events of that day had me in tears through the whole thing. I can’t even imagine what it must have been like to be there, living that nightmare, seeing the wreckage and the dying people all around. Not only is it a miracle that Mr. Van Why survived, I think it’s a miracle that he survived with his sanity intact after all he saw and experienced.

It was interesting to read how, in the aftermath of September 11th, the whole city came together, grieved, supported each other, and shared their stories. Interesting, too, to learn how the events of that day affected people differently, and how it prompted Mr. Van Why to take a leap of faith and change his own life.

This short memoir was heartbreaking, beautiful, haunting, and candid – I think everyone should buy this book and read it, and honour those who were lost that day in September, and remember how lucky we are to be  here. Thank you Mr. Van Why for sharing your story with the world. Your courage is inspiring.

A few of my favorite quotes from the book:

"Perhaps I idealize it, now that it’s gone, but I don’t think so. It was an oasis for the worker in a tedious workday, a fascination for the visitor seeing the sights, a small world of its own that held some of the elements that make New York so dynamic, so interesting, and oh so alive. It had a breath of its own."

"I don’t believe I had witnessed the wrath of anyone’s God that morning. What I had been a witness to when I looked up at those burning towers was the ultimate evil that man is capable of. The evidence of just how deep hatred could run, how far it could go.

But I had also been a witness to something else that day—down on the ground. I witnessed the ultimate goodness of man, the evidence of how strong courage could be, to what lengths it would go."

"The sphere that sat atop the fountain in the plaza was amazingly found in all the rubble, though in pieces. It was lovingly put back together by the workers at the site and now stands in Battery Park; once again whole, though dented and damaged, but standing strong. Much like our city."