I can still remember where I was on the 11th September 2001 when I heard about the planes crashing into the World Trade Centre.
Jack was with the carer and Holly and I were in a local pizza restaurant, called Scribbles. We had only been there a few minutes when the waitress came over to take our order. She seemed a bit anxious and agitated and the atmosphere in the place began to change. When the waitress came back with our drinks, she told me that they'd just heard about terrorists flying passenger planes into the World Trade Centre.
I felt total shock and disbelief and tried to hide my feelings from Holly, who was 7 at the time.
Arriving back home and turning on the TV I couldn't really take in what my eyes were actually seeing. It was so unbelievable! It was like something out of a movie but my brain knew this was so very real. For the first time, for me, the world had become a frightening place.
Fast forward to 7th July 2005 and I was in hospital with Jack who was very ill with seizures. I seemed to spend the week crying as my boy was unable to eat properly as he was slowly losing the ability to chew. He had a TV above his bed which was rarely on but then another parent whose child was in the bed opposite had his TV on and I have a vague recollection of the nurses gathering around his TV to watch with horror the story unfolding.
I was in such an emotionally raw state that to be honest, I never really took it in til later that night when Jack was asleep and I was able to have some quiet time. I was shocked and stunned to be watching such horror again but I was already in an emotional abyss worrying about Jack's condition that the enormity of it didn't really hit me until about a week later.
Then it was like I was seeing it all for the first time. I could not understand how people could carry out these atrocities and justify them to boot.
I still believe that the world is filled with mostly good people. If I didn't, then I couldn't be here and that would mean that they had won. No one should ever forget but the best revenge on these terrorists is to go on living, loving and laughing despite them and all that they stand for.
Jack was with the carer and Holly and I were in a local pizza restaurant, called Scribbles. We had only been there a few minutes when the waitress came over to take our order. She seemed a bit anxious and agitated and the atmosphere in the place began to change. When the waitress came back with our drinks, she told me that they'd just heard about terrorists flying passenger planes into the World Trade Centre.
I felt total shock and disbelief and tried to hide my feelings from Holly, who was 7 at the time.
Arriving back home and turning on the TV I couldn't really take in what my eyes were actually seeing. It was so unbelievable! It was like something out of a movie but my brain knew this was so very real. For the first time, for me, the world had become a frightening place.
Fast forward to 7th July 2005 and I was in hospital with Jack who was very ill with seizures. I seemed to spend the week crying as my boy was unable to eat properly as he was slowly losing the ability to chew. He had a TV above his bed which was rarely on but then another parent whose child was in the bed opposite had his TV on and I have a vague recollection of the nurses gathering around his TV to watch with horror the story unfolding.
I was in such an emotionally raw state that to be honest, I never really took it in til later that night when Jack was asleep and I was able to have some quiet time. I was shocked and stunned to be watching such horror again but I was already in an emotional abyss worrying about Jack's condition that the enormity of it didn't really hit me until about a week later.
 |
| picture from here |
Then it was like I was seeing it all for the first time. I could not understand how people could carry out these atrocities and justify them to boot.
I still believe that the world is filled with mostly good people. If I didn't, then I couldn't be here and that would mean that they had won. No one should ever forget but the best revenge on these terrorists is to go on living, loving and laughing despite them and all that they stand for.
