Where were you?

I woke up early around 6am by my alarm clock (west coast time). My body was so sore. We had been getting our butts kicked for the past few weeks getting into shape. It was pre-season for volleyball. My freshman year of college. The sun wasn't quite up as we shuffled down to the training room to get ready for another hard day of practice. In the midst of getting ankles taped and warming those sore muscles with heat packs....my teammates and I heard some noise coming from the trainer's office. The tiny TV screen was covered with smoke, flames, and rattled looking reporters trying their best to communicate what had happened. A tower had been hit with a plane.

I didn't know what big city it was until I suddenly recognized those towers. They looked familiar...too familiar. Our volleyball team was there just two weeks prior. I had never heard of the twin towers. But on our trip we toured NY and I snapped this pic with a teammate just before flying home to CA.



Me and Allison in NY just 2 weeks before 9-11-01


I remember feeling sick to my stomach. I looked at my teammate next to me in disbelief..."We were just there!.....pause...."I know...". I felt sick knowing we could have been there. My muscles were no longer sore. I was no longer concerned with how hard my day was going to be. But I felt even worse for all those people who were there. All those firefighters, policeman, and innocent civilians caught in the madness. I felt guilty for being on the other side of the USA on my safe college campus. I remember thinking, "Why?".

I couldn't even tell you what we did that day. I know we practiced but it felt like a blur. And I'm sure we had a game later that week...but, I remember not really caring.

***

I remember that morning very well. And 10 years later I sit here praying and thinking of all those who lost loved ones on 9/11 and hugging my little family extra tight today.

Where were you that day?