As the years go by we get further and further away from the 9/11 tragedy. To put it in perspective, most 5th graders don’t remember it happening at all.
Like many of you, I still remember it like it was yesterday. But probably not like one of our readers — who had her first born daughter that morning. She sent me her story (see below), but preferred to remain anonymous because she was talking about something so personal for complete strangers to read.
I know this has nothing to do with staffing, but most of you reading this are Americans, so it applies to you too.
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September 11, 2001 will be a day I will always remember. I was in the office completing a second interview and drug screening when our receptionist said, “Did you hear what they just said?” We always have the radio on for background noise so honestly I hadn’t heard what they had said. Frankly, she interrupted my interview which I felt was unprofessional, I wasn’t prepared for why.
I had a small TV in my office. We all huddled around and watched in disbelieve. As the tragedy unfolded and we learned more and more of what happened and what was happening before our very eyes. We watched intently when after about 30 min or so I began to feel something running down my leg.
Yes, my water had broke. I was having my baby 2 weeks early. I called my husband and told him to meet me at the hospital. A coworker drove me there the whole time we were discussing what had just happened. The Twin Towers and my water breaking. I was in shock.
When I arrived to the hospital I was told that I was already very dilated, meaning I was having the baby soon. How could I have not felt the contractions of dilating? How was this all happening so fast? There were some complications but I was able to deliver my child naturally and my husband arrived while I was pushing. I think I greeted him by saying something like, “Get over here and hold my hand. Where the hell have you been?” in between breathing, which is not in my personality at all.
After the delivery and first feeding, we sat watching the screen on updates. It was then that we decided to scrap the middle name we had picked out and gave our daughter the middle name America.
She is a bright, happy, wonderful blessing in my life. Every year on September 11 we celebrate her birth and remember how blessed we are to have the ones we love and cherish close to us. For me, September 11 is a day that I look back and know that tragedy can strike at any moment and in an instant something as beautiful as the birth of a child can also happen. I will never forget those that lost their lives that day just as I will forever cherish the life I helped bring into the world that day.
September 11 will forever be in my heart.
