After waking up early and taking the kids to before school care (for 10 minutes), I headed to the dentist where I spent just under 3 hours getting dental work done. Not at all exciting, but necessary since I lose my dental insurance at the end of September. I left with a completely numb mouth, having a temporary crown put in on the left side and a cavity done on the right side. My face was numb from ear to ear and my tongue felt like it was as big as my head, just in time to pick up Cami from preschool. I dropped her off at home where Rachel, our sitter, and Ian were waiting so that I could head off to get a haircut, which is a HUGE luxury. It was a busy, yet productive day. I was happy when the numbness finally was gone around 3pm, although I felt like someone had punched me in the face. I was happy to be home with the kids. It is always nice to get away for a bit and get some errands and appointments done, but I always enjoy returning to them.
I avoided TV for most of the day, with the exception of about 10 minutes on the World News at 5:30pm. I still have a difficult time with all that happened over the course of that week. I reflect up that Sunday before, flying into New York and on a VERY rare occasion, being able to see the most beautiful and clear view of Manhattan and the towers. My schedule had me flying into at least once a week many, many months. It is rare to have that clear view of the city as it is usually overcast or rainy. We specifically made note among the crew and several passengers of the amazing view as we looked out the windows of the plane. It was almost surreal. It is hard to explain, but we literally all were looking out the windows at the view for several minutes, trying to take it all in, before getting the bell for our final approach into the airport. On Monday I flew to Boston and Kansas City and every flight was like clockwork, which is another odd thing in the airline business. Tuesday morning as I got my early wake up call, I decided to NOT work out, something I try to do every morning when I am working, and just lay in bed a few minutes and watch the Today show after I showered and got ready for what was suppose to be the final day of a 3 day trip. I was geared up to go to Washington DC that morning and be headed back home for an early afternoon arrival. I watched in horror as they showed the tower burning from "a small aircraft" hitting the tower and talked about an air traffic control 'glitch' on the east coast after the second plane hit. Ready to check in despite the uncertainty of what was happening, our crew checked in and was set to take our flight to DC. We were fully aware that the plane hit the Pentagon and were not too disappointed when our flight was cancelled. We thankfully were able to check back into our hotel rooms and spent the next few days in lock down at the hotel (due to a threat to airline crew members). We were so thankful when the FAA finally allowed airlines to fly their planes and their crews back to their bases on Thursday, September 13. I was so happy to be home. I was given the option to not fly my next trip due to the situation, but felt it was important to get back. The country was terrified and as a Christian, I felt that by allowing the fear to take over, I was not allowing God to have the control that He has anyway. I completely trust God's power and have faith that no matter where I am, whether it be at home, in my car, an airplane, or anywhere else, that He alone knows the time and place when He is going to take me home. I trust Him to protect me and keep me safe at ALL times, not just when I have both feet on the ground. I am currently reading the book Touching History by Lynn Spencer, which is a book on the people who worked in ATC, NEADS, FAA, pilots, F16 fighter pilots, CEO of American and United, etc on 9/11. It gives some of the untold stories of what happened "behind the scenes" as things unfolded on 9/11. I encourage you to read it if you are interested. For instance, did you know that a mid air collision was avoided by the narrowest of margins between a Midwest Airlines plane and United Flight 175. History would have been dramatically different and more lives possibly lost on the ground if there had been a mid air collision. I could share pages more on that day and the few days that followed. The memories are still fresh in my mind as I am sure they are in many minds.
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