Imprints

To date, there are three major events (outside personal events, of course) that are indelibly imprinted in my brain. President Kennedy’s assassination, the Challenger disaster, and September 11^th. I’m not alone in that. Ask anyone who lived through those days and they’ll tell you where they were and what they were doing when those things happened.  To a tee.

On September 11, 2001, we were living in Dayton, Ohio in a small condominium complex. Our garages were in the back of the houses and provided a natural place for daily greetings. We all knew each other.

On that terrible day, several of our neighbors had family members who were stranded in airports and faraway cities. I’m not sure why but our house became the central gathering point for many. It may have had something to do with the mugs of coffee we poured but I think it was more about comfort and friendship.

As the day went on and uncertainty reigned, we became increasingly concerned about the potential danger to Wright Patterson Air Force Base, which is located in Dayton. We’d wrench ourselves from the television and wander into the back yards, listening, watching, worrying. There were jets, roaring overhead, constantly leaving and returning to the base and, of course, we had no idea why.

We were spared, as history reflects, but my mind still carries the pictures of friends and family, together. We needed each other and we had each other. The value of that bond stays with us today.

This week I received a brief note from one our dearest friends who happened to live next door to us at that time. She wrote: “Of all days, I so wanted to hear your voices but something is wrong with my phone.”

For a moment I wasn’t sure what she’d meant by “Of all days….” and then, scribbled at the very top of the note, I saw the date: September 11, 2015.