I remember where I was when…

It was a beautiful sunny morning as I drove down US131 to work in Grand Rapids. I looked out of my windows at the cars around me, everyone expressionless, staring blankly ahead. All of the cars moving at exactly the same speed as though they were being pulled along on a track. I flipped through the local radio stations, every single one broadcasting the exact same thing. Nothing felt real, like it was all a strange dream.

I remember where I was… on the morning of September 11, 2001.

15 years ago I walked in to the news/talk radio station where I worked, and watched everyone in disbelief, operating strictly in “broadcast mode.” Every radio station in town simulcasted our coverage of the 9/11 attacks. I started gathering audio, doing what I could do to help.

I never would have imagined that I’d be living in New York City 15 years later. I couldn’t have imagined that when I’d move here I’d live three blocks from ground zero. That I would walk out my door, turn right, cross over West Street and stand in front of the reflecting pools that mark the place where the twin towers fell.

Living here brings new significance to this anniversary. But no matter where we are on Sunday or where we were 15 years ago, it’s important to take a moment to pause and reflect.

Moments of reflection remind us where we came from, the events that shaped our character, our beliefs, our careers, our relationships, our lives… and pushed us forward to today.

Below is a piece I put together for my radio station, for the one year anniversary. I share it because I am proud of my work, but also because it is a way that I reflect each year.

I sat in a park in Midtown Manhattan yesterday, soaking in the sunshine. I listened to the audio I gathered on that morning, then I wrote this post in hopes that we’ll all be able to listen to others and to have others listen to our “I remember where I was when…” stories.

*Audio clips courtesy of ABC News; broadcast in 2002 on ABC News and Clear Channel Radio stations.