Sept 11 ~ Reflection ~ Canadian Feelings

[PoohBWV]

I was in my living room trying to get some vacuuming done before I left for work at 8:45 when the first plane hit. I had the tv on and my first thought was what a horrible accident. I was glued to the television most of the morning. I didn't go into work as I called the travel agency where I work and they did not know about it yet. They don't have a tv hooked up there so I stayed at home and called in frequently to give them updates. Soon enough the phone started ringing with cancellations at the office. For weeks after all we did was cancellations - no new bookings.

The fear people felt at that time has certainly seemed to wane. Just look at how quickly all those seats on Spirit airlines were booked when it was announce that they were free. I am supposed to fly next March to get to a cruise and am having second thoughts. Two of the other agents in my office have flown since 9/11 but both were very nervous.

 

[tigercat]

My dh, dgrdd, ds, Bizzibee, her dh & I were at a hotel in Sault Ste. Marie Ontario getting ready to go camping. We had turned on the tv as we were getting ready to go downstairs for breakfast. We called my other dd and talked to her because we were worried about her living so close to Toronto and the flight path to the airport is right over (and I mean right over) our house. We didn't know what to do but decided that we would really be out of harms way camping NW of the Sault. My dn is in computers and actually was talking to some guys in the Tower when it happened. He was told that they were being told to stay put. He told the guy he was talking to to leave. He never heard from them again. He held all the backup files of a lot of the financial places but could not release them because all of the people that could authorize it were gone. The Secretary of the Treasury had to call him and have him release them. He was talking to us on Sat. at a family party and told us a lot of things about that day.
tigercat

 

[grover]

I was at work that day, I had called to book an appt for one of the teens I worked with, the receptionist asked me if I had heard the bad news, I thought "oh no the dentist died" then she said a plane had crashed into the WTC, I hung up and turned on the radio and everything was already being broadcast, I just could not believe it,myself and a coworker turned on the t.v. and watched. Two other coworkers just kept on working, I was astounded as to how they could even manage to work. I just remember being totally astounded by the whole thing. We came home and of course just watched cnn for hours. I just couldn't get enough info on it. It was so sad. Sad part is that the teens I worked with in residential care had no concept as to what this tragedy meant,in there little universe it had no meaning what so ever (long storey but they come from very isolated places). All I could think was how this changes everything for ever. My mom still worries, she does not think it is a good idea to go to disney as it could be considered a target. I however think we need to go, anyone anywhere could be a target. I don't know what this sept 11 will be like or what we will be doing. I am one of those people who have to watch the train wreck if you know what I mean, I will probably watch some of the t.v. coverage. My way of dealing with it.
Grover in Winnipeg

 

[Jo-Anne]

I too will be at WDW this Sept 11, and I'm not sure what we'll do, or what Disney might have planned? Our children are too young to understand what went on (5&3), and I don't want to get them upset if we attend an event that will overwhelm people with emotion (I know that I would lose it at any 9/11 remembrance event, and my DD gets so upset when she sees me crying). I know that I want to respect and remember the tragic events of last year, but I'm hoping, for my kids sake, that we won't dwell on it and we'll make it an overall happy day with them celebrating life.

 

[DSNY FN]

We were in the car on our way to the lottery office in TO to collect our 649 winnings we didn't know anything about it till about 2 in the afternoon when I called my mom and she told us about it. We never listen to the radio as we hav a cd player and cd changer in the car and just load it up and listen to Disney music when we drive anywhere. I know this is a terrible thing to think but my first thought was man I would hate to be the guy to have to make all the phone calls to tell people their family member was dead. I got really caught up in all the photos of the crashes etc from every news post out there I just had to see the devastation from every angle and every pespective it was really strange how that happened as I really hate things like that but it was like I just had to see it all.

 

[Aristocats2]

Hi All,

I just had to respond to this thread as the memories of Sept. 11/01 are still so awful and clear. It's cathartic to talk or write about it, so thanks to Sandra for starting this thread.

I was sitting in bed nursing my DS, who turned 5 weeks old on that awful day. I was watching Little House on the Prairie when CNN cut in (can you picture the contrast -- pleasant, placid LHotP against this chaotic scene in Manhattan?) They showed footage of the first plane crashing into the tower. As I struggled to comprehend the reality of what was happening (like I have heard so many others say, it seemed like a movie to me), CNN switched to a live feed and I saw the second plane crash before my eyes.

I immediately called my DH on the phone and remember saying, "Oh my God, what is happening in this world?" I then tried to reach three co-workers and friends, calling one, then another, then another (got voice mails all three times -- they were all gathered around the tv, doubtless), but kept trying and finally reached one of them, and we had an emotional conversation.

On Sept. 14, DS and I boarded a plane to Winnipeg, where we stayed with my parents for nearly two months while my mum was going through chemo. And I have to say, I wasn't at all afraid to fly. In fact, we've flown so many times since (at the tender age of 12 months, my DS is a pro at flying, having been on 12 flights), including to WDW in December-January.

I really believe that to cower and back away from travelling (if travelling is something you normally do) is to let the terrorists win. For us "good guys" to win, we must go about life as we did before. Yes, the world changed in a horrible way. Yes, we have to remember all of those who died in that tragedy, and have sympathy for all of their families, friends and loved ones. But we cannot let the "bad guys" win. I believe that if (God forbid) one of these days I get on a plane and don't reach my destination, then my number was up, and that's it. I could die at any time; all of us could -- it's the one sure thing in life, isn't it? I could walk across the street tomorrow and get hit by a bus, get into a bad car accident ... anything. But I don't live in fear of that; I don't avoid crossing the street, or driving, or any of the other things that could have some chance of leading to my death. If it's my day to die, then it's my day to die -- nothing I can do about it. For me, living in fear is not living at all.

We have to always remember, and at the same time move on.

 

[CJK]

We will be in WDW on September 11th and we plan on going to the flag raising ceremony in the MK. There's something soothing for me knowing that I'll be in WDW on such a sad anniversary.

 

[SandraC]

Hi all ~ I think of 9/11 everyday. Lately, I've been thinking about Sept 11, 2002 and what would happen to the world, emotionally. I tried to think about a celebration of live ~ honouring the people who died and the people who united in mind, body and spirit to help. But last night I was watching CNN and they showed all the incidents of 9/11 ~ I collapsed into tears and was over come by sadness. The images were overwhelming, as if I saw them for the first time.

What will Sept. 11, 2002 be like ~ will we handle it well? What do you think?

Where were you 9/11/01 ~ how did you find out? S

 

[SandraC]

dd starts school at 8:50am. I drove her to school that day because I was teaching a Family Wellness workshop at 9:30am. I parked my car across the street at 8:45am and when the bell rang at 8:50am, I walked her across the street. By the time I got into my car and turned on the radio, it was 9:50am. I was listen to CHUM FM. They interupted regular programming to announce the 1st plane crash. I was sad, but really thought it was a Cessna. dh flyes Cessna's so I pay attention to airplane crashes. I continued to listen to the radio, ds was in the back of the car ~ he comes to workshops with me. They announced the 2nd plane ~ right away, I knew it wasn't a Cessna, and it was deliberate. I looked for a Buffalo radio station, figuring the US stations would have most accurate coverage. I had to drive from north west Mississauga to Port Credit area, so I listened to the radio for abour 30 minutes. When I got to my workshop, I whispered to the coordinator, "Did you hear anything about planes going into WTC?" She didn't hear anything, so I just started the workshop. No one in the room had heard anything yet. Even I wasn't certain what was going on. I didn't have enough info at the time. My workshop lasted about 90 minutes. I didn't tell the other parents and children about the WTC at all that morning. When I got back into my car, I turned on the radio to hear two other planes when down. I immediately started to cry and couldn't get home fast enough. I looked around at all the other cars and no one looked concerned. By that time, all the planes were landing at Pearson, the sky was filled with airlines I hadn't seen before. Then the planes stopped. It was deafening. When I pulled into my driveway, a neighbour came over and hugged me. We cried. I hadn't seen the TV yet. When I did turn on the TV, I was overwhelmed with grief. dd was coming home for lunch, so I walked to school (it's in my backyard). I chatted with a couple of parents and some teachers came out too. When dd came out, I told her what happened in 8 year old terms. Making sure she knew that she was safe and this happened far away. I let her watch it on TV at lunch and she was fine with it. We have a very large population of Muslims in our area and at school. When Bin Laden was pinned to this, the Muslims were so sad and terrified we would label them terrorist. Our community came together in a big way. The night was we were all asked to light candles at 7pm ~ dd and I lite the candles outside. Our neighbours, Muslims, came over with candles too and we sat outside talking all night. I don't know how my family we do Sept 11, 2002. What about you?S

 

[SandraC]

Two more stories....

My brother in law was to be on the flight that when down in the PA field Sept 12.

I teach fitness. My regular classes on Sept 12th were 7pm yoga class and 8:20pm aerobic dance class. I addressed 9/11 in the yoga class and everyone did the best they could. But the 8:20pm aerobics class was extraordinary. Usually about 10-14 people come to a class that late at night. But Sept. 12, 2001 there was about 40 people in class. I think people just wanted to turn off the TV and jump around without thinking about it. It's normally a noisy class, but Sept 12, 2001, they blew the roof off the gym hooting and hallering and just being in the moment. The diversion was awesome for everyone, including me, who was about to cancel all classes that day. 40 people jumped around and 40 people embraced each other after class. Many of us from that class are still close.

S

 

[PhotobearSam]

At the time of Sept. 11th, I was a photolab manager for Loblaws. The lab is upstairs and the customer service is downstairs. I heard from another manager at another store about the 1st plane and I called my fiance at work. We thought it was an accident.

Everytime someone rang the bell for me to go serve a customer downstairs, I would tell everyone down there what was happening. We were all in shock when the first plane hit but when the 2nd plane hit it was too much.

I had the only radio on in the front of the store, so all the cashiers, florists, pharmacy and deli people were depending on me to keep them informed. I also had the computer used for uploading images to the internet which I put to cnn.com even though I wasn't supposed to know how to get around the internet lockout. The images were horrible.

One co-worker said to me days later that she would watch me come down the stairs and could tell things were worse before I even said a word just by looking at my face and seeing that each trip I got paler and paler. (I'm really pale to begin with)

All I could think was "Those poor people" and I called my parents in New Brunswick a lot that day. The event that got to me the most ws when the radio had reports that people were jumping off the WTC to excape the flames. I broke down.

There were also reports that they were evacuating places in Downtown Ottawa. I was scared.

By the end of the day, I could hardly move and I don't remember the 50 minute drive home at all....

I will be in New Brunswick that day and will mark somehow.

We went to WDW on the 21st of October 2001 and did not let these terrorists break us but it was hard being there enjoying ourselves when so many people were grieving.

When we crossed the border into Florida, I started to cry...I could not explain why.

 

[abbyndrewmom]

Well I was at WDW September 11th 2001 and it was anything but soothing. It was actually our departure day, we had our breakfast at 'ohanas and were heading for the airport. At one of the toll gates an attendant told us to turn on our radio because a plane had crashed into the WTC, at this point no one knew anything and everybody assumed it was some terrible accident. I am a nervous flyer to begin with so this was not good news, I remember telling dh I don't think we should get on a airplane today. We dropped off our car and headed to the airport, on the bus there was another couple and we were both talking about how uncomfortable we felt flying, I remeber thinking what are the chances something else bad could happen today. On the way to the airport we heard the 2nd plane crash into the wtc, we got off the bus at the airport, I knew there was no way I was getting on a plane. They had just started to close the airport, we were intially told only for 4-5 hrs, but I knew I was not flying that day so we booked ourselves onto a plane for the next day, went back got a car and went to spend what we thought would be one night at an airport hotel. We spent the next several hours watching TV and calling friends and family back home, dh woke up his mother in Hawaii and told her about it. We both have friends and family in Manhatten and we had a few tense hours tracking them all down. I remember going through all this without tears until I talked to my dad and then it was this overwhelming emotion swept through me and I just wanted to go home. I couldn't understand how this could have happen. I remember thinking when the planes first crashed into the WTC that they were probably empty that someone stole them off the runway before passengers had boarded, I couldn't believe it when they were full of people.

i remember trying to explain to my 4 year old daughter that we weren't going home because some bad people had hurt alot of people and that to keep us safe we had to stay in Flordia. I remeber sitting and watching CNN for hours and hours not being able to believe the pictures coming off the tv. I remeber talking to my cousin in Manhatten as she gave me a first hand account from her apartment window. I remember going to Blizzard Beach Sept. 12th and how silent the whole park became as a squadrom of low flying millitary helicpoters circled the park, a reminder that bad things can happen even in the happiest place in the world and that things would never be the same again. I remeber finally getting on a plane on September 16th and going home. I remember looking at everyone getting on the plane and mentally checking to see who looked suspicious. I remember the whole plane clapping when we landed in Buffalo. I remeber the tears of joy at finally being home in Canada and that we stopped at the first Tim Hortons we saw.

I don't know what we will do on September 11th if we will join in a public display or just do something quietly at home, I am sure that the date will not be forgotten nor will it ever pass quietly again.

Allison

 

[starshine73]

I work at a group home where 5 ladies who are developmentally handicapped live. One of the ladies was watching Little House on the Prairie when a staff phoned to let us know that a plane had crashed into the WTC. We change the channel to CBS and saw the 2nd plane hit. I really thought that that was it for everyone. I had just booked my plane tickets for our Dec trip to WDW that morning on Expedia. Of course we just had to go about our day's work but kept the tv on the news all day, and like so many others, I could not stop watching. The first thing we watched that wasn't 9/11 related was Walt: Man Behind the Myth, which ABC aired on the following Sunday. DH did not want to change the channel but I convinced him that they would cut in if anything happened.
Watching that show was so cathartic; it made us remember that there are good people out there and extraordinary people like Walt Disney.
Everyone thought we were nuts for flying to the states, especially to WDW as it is considered a target. We did not let them scare us off and enjoyed our trip to the best of our ability.

 

[cdnmickeylover]

I watched the same CNN program as SandraC and it brought back all of the memories from that day.
I had just arrived at work that morning when the receptionist asked me if I had heard that a plane had gone into the WTC. I was shocked. I usually listen to CBC radio on the drive into work but for some reason that morning I hadn't turned on the radio. I called my mother who immediately turned on CNN. We spent a lot of the day huddled around one of the computer watching and listening to CNN.com. It was unreal. I remember calling my brother who works in the Scotia Plaza building downtown. We were talking about it when he told me that he had to leave as they were evacuating the building. That was scary b/c at that point nobody really knew what was going on. They had grounded all planes but there were reports of unaccounted for planes. They evacuated all of the tall buildings in downtown Toronto because nobody knew if anything was going to happen anywhere else. In the middle of the day the building had a fire alarm which unnerved everyone here. Although it had been planned as a drill everyone was so tense that it didn't go over well. Not much work got done that day. I went home and was glued to CNN. My mother called during the day giving updates. It was horrific. My son (15 at the time) was also glued to CNN, not really believing what he was seeing. I'm not sure what we will be doing on Sept 11th, 2002 but I will give my son a hug and be glad that we are safe. It hasn't changed my travel habits though. I'm still planning to go on vacation b/c if we all stayed home the terrorists would have won and they didn't.

Cdnmickeylover

 

[bunnyfoo]

I remember waking up that morning and hearing about a plane that had crashed into the Pentagon. I called my boyfriend to ask him about that and he told me about a plane crash in New York City. I didn't really think anything of it until I went downstairs and turned on the TV and saw it was the World Trade Centers!

I was really worried because I have a friend who works for Morgan Stanley and I thought he might have been in the buildings. I eventually found him online (of all places ) and he said he had been sent home for the day ... but he told me that he worked in Times Square. He said a lot of the management staff were moved to that location after the garage bombing a few years ago.

I was really devastated when I saw the two buildings collapse. What made it worse for me was having to watching over and over again at work (I work for a media monitoring company) ... That day I must have watched the towers collapse more than 100 times because we get and watch almost every station.

A couple of days later, I found a CNN tape we had recorded at work which started at 6:00 AM on Sept. 11 and it showed the sun rising near the Towers. I made a copy of that tape but it makes me sad when I watch it.

 

[Gdoody]

I was at WDW, trying to get the family ready for a day at EPCOT. Every morning, I tune into CNBC to get the financial news before hitting the parks. The previous evening somebody had left the TV on CNN, and I tuned in just as the breaking news story about the first crash appeared. We continued to get ready for the parks, but CNN stayed on. I was frantically trying to phone our office in NY to see what was happening there, but getting no answers. Then my FIL informed me that there had been an explosion in the second tower, an explosion I assumed was caused by the first plane exploding in the first building. As our family watched the replays in horror, we quickly realized that the second plane had hit the twin tower. At that point in time, I knew we were going nowhere that day. First I had to contact all of may staff in Toronto to try and get news of our NY staff. Fortunately our office in NY is several blocks from the site, and everybody made it out ok. I finally got through to several of my colleagues who once worked for me in Canada on their cell phones, and they were walking out of downtown. The next order of business was transferring much of our systems back to TO. The plan in an emergency like this was for me to immediately fly back to TO from wherever I was at and co-ordinate a rollover of our operations to the Canadian office. Did we ever find a glitch in that part of the emergency plan.

My Admin had just transferred to NY on Sept 4th, and by the time the days events unfolded, I fully expected her to tell me she was coming back to Canada. She was amazingly calm however, and stayed on in NY, where she now enjoys living and working.

I was so busy with all of the above, that I don?t think the days events really hit me until later that evening. By then, it was mostly thankfulness that I had found everybody close to us.

Leading into and during Sept 11th this year I will be traveling. I will be at WDW leading up to Sept 11th, returning on Sept 7th, and leaving for an overseas business trip on Sept 7th for a week. I will mainly be watching events this year from a distance via the media.

 

[Cheerio]

I was at home, watching Regis and Kelly when they cut in with news about the 'accident' After the second plane hit, we knew it was no accident. I watched CNN all day long, and constantly for about 3 weeks after.
One of my good friends had a DH who worked in the Pentagon, and he was there when it was hit, luckily, he was in a different part and is okay.
9/11 is also our wedding anniversary, I don't know how we'll celebrate this year, or years to come.
Just thinking about it, brings tears to my eyes, this will definately be an emotional day for me.

 

[PoohBWV]

I have copied this thread to the new 9/11....Our Thoughts board here at the DIS. Check it out. Feel free to add your thoughts to this post or chat with others on the new board about this most important subject.

 

[tigger2on]

i had just landed by plane in London England when the news was announced over the PA. It was the first time I'd left my then 4 yr old disabled child alone for a long period of time. I remember getting off the plane and running into my fiance's arms in tears. It could have been me!

 

[tigger2on]

i had just landed by plane in London England when the news was announced over the PA. It was the first time I'd left my then 4 yr old disabled child alone for a long period of time. I remember getting off the plane and running into my fiance's arms in tears. It could have been me!