I've gotten a few emails in response to my post, Looking Away, where I asked people if they could remember the normal of September 10th. One man said he was preparing for court the next day. Another said there was no way he could remember.

Amy from Florida writes:

My son was 20 months old and sick, so I took him to my mom and dad's after work to stay the night and following day. After dinner, we chatted as normal, visiting before I would leave for home. As fate (as I see it) would have it, Dad started watching "Band of Brothers" on HBO. He insisted I sit down and watch, regardless of the 45 minute drive I would have to make on the way home.

During the movie, we remarked about the "Greatest Generation", and spoke with appreciation of my "PawPaw" who was a proud sailor during WWII. What these men and women did. How they selflessly sacrificed. For their families and country. For me. For my Mom. My Dad. My children.

We wondered. What if that was needed today? We didn't have doubts, but hoped that the fire was still there.

We found out the very next morning. My daughter fell sick on the way to school, so at 8:20 in the morning, I found myself on the way to Grammy's house again. Between phone calls and radio commentaries less than an hour later, I knew we were at war. I got to Mom's house in time to see the second tower hit. Mom, Dad, me, we all knew what was happening. Who was doing it. And what was going to happen.

In a little over 12 hours, all the questions from the night before had been answered. The memories from that evening will always be married to the memories of 9-11.

Keep emailing. I'm interested to know how many people can recapture the last moments of normal.

Another:

I working night shift at the time. The only memory I have is the morning of September 11 around 2 or 3 in the morning (central time). I was in a whataburger with my friend/supervisor. I remember telling him about how I had taken the rest of the week off and had no plans. Later on I went home and was playing on the computer. I caught glimpses of posts saying a plane hit the World Trade Center but I didn't pay it much attention because I thought surely they must be talking about a movie. When I saw more of them I turned on the tv and saw all the news stations. Then my wife (then girlfriend) called panicking and leaving work to come over. She works for Morgan Stanley and her then-best friend was there. She was in the WTC for a training conference when they let out on break. She walked out of the building and saw the first plane hit. After the realization set in, she ran like hell to the stock exchange where the guard thought she was a lunatic. Anyway, that's my memory of the day before.

Jason
Houston, TX