Where were you? What do you remember? 20 years ago today, 9/11 jolted our hearts and minds.
After 20 years, 9/11 is still on our minds, though perhaps not in the same ways. Memory is funny like that, sometimes flames and planes are not what remains; instead, simple images like flags or a phone call or a child playing keep their form and presence known. Here are some memories from our staff.
– Almost as unforgettable as the attacks on the twin towers is the memory of my then two-year-old son reenacting them with legos after days of continuing news coverage.
– My husband at the time was on the phone with a friend who told him to hold on a moment because everybody had just been instructed to head to the top of the building.
– My younger brother’s first word was “Flags’” because, during that time, American flags were everywhere, constantly and proudly lifted high.
– That beautiful late Summer morning, I was walking my first Springer Spaniel puppy, Cutty, in Church Hill. When I got back to the house, my brother called to see if I had heard the news and turning on the TV, saw the first tower smoking.
– I was on Broad Street in Richmond on my way to the office when I heard the news on NPR that the first plane had hit the tower.
– I was in California; we woke up to it because we were 3 hours behind New York time. With a 2-year-old, a 5-year-old, and my youngest on the way, I wondered what kind of place the world would be for their future.
