Where were you?

Where were you when the world stopped turning? Alan Jackson put the perfect words together after 9/11 took place.
Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?
Were you in the yard with your wife and children
Or working on some stage in L.A.?
Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke
Risin' against that blue sky?
Did you shout out in anger, in fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry?

Did you weep for the children who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know?
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below?
Did you burst out in pride for the red, white and blue
And the heroes who died just doin' what they do?
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself and what really matters?

[Chorus:]
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell
you the difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?
Were you teaching a class full of innocent children
Or driving down some cold interstate?
Did you feel guilty 'cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone?
Did you call up your mother and tell her you loved her?
Did you dust off that Bible at home?

Did you open your eyes, hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep?
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Or speak to some stranger on the street?
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Or go out and buy you a gun?
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watchin'
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns?

Did you go to a church and hold hands with some strangers
Did you stand in line and give your own blood?
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love?

[Repeat Chorus 2x]
And the greatest is love.
And the greatest is love.

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day? 




It was just an ordinary day for most people. Men and women were off to work. Students and teachers had already started their school day. Mothers were cradling their babies in their arms. Most people on the west coast hadn't even risen from their slumber to greet the day.

I was home with two small children. She was 3 and he was almost 2. We sat on my bed as we did most mornings and I watched TV as I got them ready for the day. She was in an early preschool program; he was still in diapers. It was a Tuesday and she wasn't scheduled for class that day. Good Morning America was on, as it was most mornings. My husband had left for work, like normal. GMA reported the incident as it was unfolding. Complete shock and disbelief paralyzed my body. Just after the first plane hit and the billowing cloud consumed that New York sky, my telephone rang. It was my neighbor and good friend, Debbie. "Tish are you watching?" I could barely speak.. "Yes, what the heck is going on? What in the world is happening?" She said they didn't know and they thought it might be a bomb. We sat in silence as we watched the reports together while on the phone. She watched NBC and I, ABC. The reports and speculations were swirling. Was it a bomb? Was it an accidental incident? Who could have done this? Why would anyone do this? Then before we even had confirmation, though much belief was behind a plane had flown into the 1st tower... nearly simultaneously we watched as the second plane crashed into the second tower. She gasped and I remember I could barely breathe. "Deb, did you see that? A plane just flew into a building. Is this live? Is this really happening?"  I remember she had to get off the phone and call her husband who worked just across the street at the university.

It really was live and it really was happening. Right there before my eyes. As my kids played obliviously at the foot of my bed, as happy as they could be. I was watching the world as I knew, just stop.

I know I will never forget the images. You know them too. The firemen running in; people on the streets running out; bodies free falling from the buildings; smoke/ash clouds surging through the streets; injured bodies; the packed bridges full of people attempting to exit the city. I can only imagine.. actually I can barely imagine... the sounds, the smells the emotion of the moment.

The reports continued. We were barely grasping for air when the news breaks again to report yet another plane had crashed into the Pentagon. WHAT ON EARTH.. SERIOUSLY!?! What kinds of monsters could be behind this horrible plot to destroy America. Was anyone safe? 

It wasn't finished.. A plane reportedly crashed in Pennsylvania. Was this one connected? Why did it just crash into a field? Will it ever end? Dear God, what on earth is going on??? Is anyone safe anywhere? New York, DC, Pennsylvania.. it's everywhere. 

Tears were flowing from my face and I remember all I could do was pray. I don't remember the exact prayer, but I do know it was raw.  I can honestly say I don't remember how the kids were cared for that day. I was glued to the television all day. The reports continued and I wasn't able to miss any of it.

I later learned that I knew someone who died in the WTC that day. We were in high school together. He was just a couple years older than me but I knew him. His name was Eric and he was too young, only 29.  Eric was a football player in school and in college. He always had a smile on his face and was friendly to everyone. He never had a chance to meet his sister's (now) husband and their two children.  He was the V.P of Alliance Consulting group, and proud of his WTC office. He didn't even get to turn 30 years old.

We all know the outcome now. We all know the answers to most of these questions that we all asked that day. We know the "who", the "what", the "why", and the "how". It's been ten years. The twin towers are gone, the New York skyline forever changed. The National September 11 Memorial (and Museum) is scheduled to be opened today, as a matter of fact. The Pentagon has been rebuilt. A memorial has been dedicated and is under construction now in PA.

 My daughter is 13 and my son is now almost 12. They only know of this horrific day in their life based on the stories they are told and the reports given on TV. My son learned of some of it in school for the first time this year.

Yes, many of the questions have been answered. Much of life has been reconstructed. But this day in history is alive in the hearts of all of us who sat helpless, shocked and dismayed that Tuesday, September 11, 2001. The day the world stopped turning. We will NEVER forget. God bless!