Remembering September 11th

On Sept. 11, 2001, I was working in the Corporate Communications department at American Express Financial Advisors (AEFA). It was the beginning of the day; people were still coming into work, getting settled, drinking coffee. Another ordinary day at the office. Then my manager walked past my desk and said that a plane had just flown in to the World Trade Center. I remember thinking -- and maybe I even said it out loud -- "A plane flew into the tower? How does a plane fly into a building?" At that point, the thought of a deliberate attack hadn't even entered my mind.



For the rest of the day most of the people in my department, as well as many people from other departments on our floor, crowded around the television in our little Media Room watching the events unfold. In addition to being shocked, saddened and confused by what was happening, we were concerned about our New York colleagues at American Express -- the company's headquarters was across the street from the towers. And of course, AEFA had advisors all over the country. Eventually the televisions in all the break rooms were tuned into CNN so everyone could follow what was going on.

The whole day was just unreal. I saw the second plane fly into the tower and then both of them collapse. Then the crashes in Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon. It felt like this couldn't be happening. The wreckage and the chaos. It seemed so distant and so close to home at the same time. In a matter of minutes, the whole world changed.

Many AEFA employees went home early that day, especially those that still worked in the IDS tower, which is a landmark in Minneapolis and was thought to be a potential target. I stayed until the end of the day and with a few coworkers sent faxes to all the offices of our financial advisors (at that point our computers were useless). The office was so quiet. The bus ride home was quieter and emptier than usual. It was such a strange contrast to the pandemonium on the streets of New York.

I cried a lot that day and over the next few weeks. Tears of joy for the people who survived or who for some reason were not at work in the towers that morning as they usually were; tears of wonder for how people from across the country came together to help and how brave firefighters, police officers and ordinary citizens ran into those collapsing buildings to rescue people or thwarted the hijackers on their plane; and many tears of sorrow for those people who were trapped, who were killed in plane crashes, who jumped from the towers.

It's hard to believe that it's been ten years since that day. I'm not sure how much of the coverage I want (or will be able) to watch. I don't know if I really want to dredge up all those emotions again. And I realize I'm lucky to have that option. The people who survived, who were there, who lost a loved one can never escape by just turning off the TV. They are left with those emotions, memories and images forever.

In honor of the day, I wanted to make some cards that express how thankful and proud I am to be an American.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®, unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: God Bless America, Playful Pieces, Mini Messages
Card stock: Cherry Cobbler, Night of Navy, River Rock
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Night of Navy
Accessories: Heart to Heart punch, Small Heart punch, Small Star punch, Scallop Edge Border punch, deckle scissors (Fiskars), navy grosgrain ribbon, linen thread, Stripes embossing folder, Dimensionals

Stampin' Up! created and sold this special-edition God Bless America stamp after the September 11th attacks. The entire purchase price of every stamp was donated to The September 11th Fund, which provided services for victims of the attacks and their families.

Peace.