Today is the Fifteenth Anniversary of 9-11

Today marks the 15th anniversary of the disasters of 9-11, which not only shook the world, but changed our way of life forever.

Since that day, American history has been delineated as Before 9-11, and After 9-11. It's also a day that everyone can remember what they were doing and where they were when the twin towers in New York City went down, United Airlines Flight 93 plowed into an Pennsylvania hillside, and the Pentagon was attacked.

For me, it was my first year as a classroom teacher. Prior to the 2001-2002 school year, I had taught elementary music for 25 years. My husband had just survived a heart transplant, and I needed a change of pace. So I accepted a position teaching pre-Kindergarteners. Four-year-olds.

On that day, I was helping them with writing their names, when my classroom door flew open and parents began pouring in, grabbing their children, and leaving. They were panicking and screaming, which upset the children. I stopped one mother and asked what was wrong.

"We're being bombed! We're being attacked!" she screamed at me. "Don't you watch TV?"

My classroom was cleared out within minutes, as were most of the other classrooms at school that day. Confused, I turned on the television, and that's when I discovered what had occurred.

Since that day, every door in every school was locked. Security guidelines were put into place. Our entire way of life was no longer as carefree and open as it used to be.

I wanted to include in this post the names of a few movies that best exemplify and honor those who lost their lives on that day, but there is only one I feel worthy of that recognition. It's a powerful and moving documentary about the hundreds of men who took their boats to the shore where survivors were crowded, looking to escape. Very few people have seen, much less know about this 12 minute film called "Boatlift" when, on that day, over 500,000 people were saved in just a few hours.  

Please take the time to view this film linked here. 

And please share where you were when 9-11 changed America forever.

(photo HVNN.com)

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Normally, this is where the author of the blog post would advertise and promote their latest release, or upcoming release. In respect for this day, I will save my news for a later day.

Throw Back Thursday ~ Happy Anniversary

My parents came from very similar backgrounds, Eastern European. My Mom’s family was from Rovna, Ukraine and immigrated here in 1900. Mom was born in New York City in 1908. My Dad’s family is from Snovsk, Ukraine and immigrated to the United States in 1910, when Dad was six.

Sept 26, 1929 Outside Dad's First Office

I’ve been thinking about my parents a lot lately. Today would have been their 85^th wedding anniversary. Both of them are gone but certainly not forgotten. I always found the story of how they met and married a bit of a romantic comedy. Their families came from the same vicinity, near Kiev. But it wasn’t until they were young adults that my Mom, Jessie, and Dad, Aaron, meet.

Both my grandmothers were single parents. Their husbands were victims of the 1918 flu pandemic. My maternal grandmother, Ida, was a piece goods worker hemming pant cuffs and shortening sleeves. My paternal grandmother, Mary, had a small grocery store.

In the early part of the 20^th century, the Catskills in upstate New York had bungalow colonies where families would go to get out of the city for a week’s vacation in the summer. This is where my parents met. While my mother denied it and my father stayed very quiet, Mom’s brother, Uncle Jay, swears their marriage was arranged.

Jessie was 21 and working as a secretary. Aaron was 25 and graduating dental school. According to Uncle Jay, Jessie was dating a handsome medical student, Ben, from Texas and, while a doctor was a blessing, Ida feared her only daughter would move away. Aunt Rose, Dad’s sister, told me Mary wanted Aaron, the youngest of seven and the last one unmarried, to settle down. It was time for him to start his family with a sensible woman. Ida and Mary introduced Jessie and Aaron and found lots of reasons for them to be together. Neither Jessie nor Aaron was happy with their plans. Ida threw a part for Jessie and Aaron but was a bit miffed when Aaron brought another woman as his date and Jessie walked in on Ben’s arm.

Back in the City, Jessie and Aaron spent time together the rest of the summer. Aaron became part of Jessie group of friends. Jessie was a practical realistic woman and a bit of a quiet person especially compared to Aaron’s outgoing nature. He held whatever audience he had enthralled with his stories and jokes.

On September 25, Uncle Jay came home from classes at Fordham University and was told to get dressed in his best suit. Jessie was getting married in their Aunt’s apartment across the hall. He was excited. He liked Ben. He stopped short when he saw Jessie with Aaron.

Ben pleaded his case up to the end but Ida would not hear any of it. He graduated, returned to Texas and never married. Jessie and Aaron had a good life together. Mom never spoke of Ben, not even when my sister and I would pester. She would just smile and tell us she wouldn’t change anything for the world.

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad.  

Ruth's new anthology, Timeless Treasures:Stories of the Heart, is currently on pre-order and releases October 15.