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Today is the tenth anniversary of September 11. At that time there was a song released by Alan Jackson titled, “Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning”. Do you remember? I remember September 11, 2001.

The day had started out just as any normal day would. I got up, slugged down that cup of coffee and breakfast, showered and dressed, and ran out the door to work.

I remember as I traveled my hour to work thinking how beautiful and peaceful that day seemed to be. I was loving the scenery on my way. I was also singing to the music on the radio.

Now at the time I worked at a Correctional Facility. So it was normal to feel some kind of apprehension at the way the day would unfold. Little did I know that apprehension would be something way beyond anything I had ever had felt before.

The day preceded to start as normal. The offenders were released from their cells and reported to the class that I was teaching. Everyone signed in for class. Roll was taken and assignments were given for the day’s classwork.

Around 9:30 am, class took a 15 minute break. Everyone was anxious to get outside and move around for that 15 minutes. I locked the door to the classroom and headed out with some other teachers to the yard to get some fresh air.

Once we departed those doors you could feel the difference in the atmosphere. The yard that was usually full on a beautiful day like that was almost empty. That was strange in itself. However, there was a feeling that something was quite wrong. We just had no idea how very wrong it really was.

We preceded back to the classrooms and unlocked the doors for the return of the men so that we could finish our morning session. Yet when they returned the mood had changed from their usual selves to one of a very somber, heavy one. I remember thinking ” This is not good.” It would only be a matter of minutes before I would know what happened to change all their moods.

Finally after everyone settled in I noticed that the men were all looking at me rather strangely. Here I was smiling like not a thing was wrong in the world. Eventually one of the offenders asked me had anyone told me the news.

Of course, not knowing what they were talking about, I laughed and asked “What news?”. You can only imagine my shock when one said that it was all over the news that the Twin Towers had been attacked.

I remember thinking this can not be so. Still laughing, I called the office and asked if it was so. The answer completely sent me reeling. How could our wonderful peaceful world have shattered so easily in a few seconds?

I remember feeling so numb and in shock. How was I going to handle this? How on earth was I going to deal with this room full of men, and they did become just men at that point and not inmates to me. We were all feeling pretty much the same thing.

Once the men knew that I knew that the Twin Towers had been attacked, they began to talk openly about it to each other. Needless to say, no more class work was done that day. Everyone of us was wondering where our families were at the time and if they were safe. I even wondered if there was anyone in that class that had family in those towers that day.

The thing that we talked about the most was not the fact that deep in our hearts we knew the United States had just suffered a terrorist attack. However, we did talk at great extent about the lives that had been lost there so needlessly. How were their families going to cope? Then there was the subject of what was going to happen next. Little did we know what news was yet to follow.

We broke for lunch. The men were sent back to their housing units and I went to the main building to try to find out what news I could in our own little secluded part of the world. Needless, to say the mood was very somber, heavy and quiet. Before any of us preparing to eat, our supervisor had us all meet together and told us what news he knew.

A few of the teachers left that day for lunch and went home to watch the news on tv. The others of us sat and listened to a portable radio. I dont remember any of us actually eating. I do remember the sadness and anger in that room that day though.

By the time our lunch and preparation time was over, we knew that the Pentagon had been attacked also and that there was another plane unaccounted for. I remember wondering how many more attacks would happen that day.

I remember thinking to myself that I did not want to be there. I wanted to go home and be with my family. I wanted to hold each and every one of them and protect them. Yet, I gathered my stuff together and headed back to the classroom for the afternoon session.

The afternoon session was pretty much the same as the morning session. The men were all heavy hearted and didnt want to be there any more than I did. Obligation kept us bound together that afternoon. Each of us wanting to go back and see what the latest news was.

When that day ended at work, I checked out and headed for my vehicle. I remember on the drive home I kept thinking about how much the world had changed from the drive in to the drive home. It seemed that the whole world was quiet on my way home. Very few cars were out on the road that day. I kept thinking that I hope that people are home with their families.

When I got home the only thing on tv was the pictures of the Twin Towers and the planes flying into them. I think that this is an image that will never leave my mind yet to this day. Still I kept thinking about all the sadness that had to be there. All the terror that people there must be feeling was beyond anything I could imagine. I was just horrified by everything I saw that evening.

I do remember September 11, 2001. Do you?