This morning before I went to work at Radioshack, Pam and I stopped for breakfast/lunch at McDonald’s. MSNBC was replaying in totality the events of 9/11/01. As we waited for our food, we watched the events unfold once again. It was an odd feeling. Alan Jackson penned the song that inspired the title to today’s post. Where were you when the world stopped turning? We ate our food and listened to the broadcast. As we were leaving, they turned their attention to the attack at the Pentegon and as they did, goosebumps went up my arms.

I remember the day…It was a beautiful late summer day in Upstate New York. I was scheduled to work at Radioshack later that day. At that time, it was my custom to go over to my office on Tuesday mornings and work on my sermon. Pam was in the house with James. I remember Pam coming over right about nine and telling me that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center…I dismissed it, probably as others as just an accident…Several moments later she came back and gave me the news that a second plane hit the second tower…This was more than an accident…I came over to the house from the church and watched in amazement as the news unfolded before my very eyes. It wasn’t long before we were watching the same footage I watched this morning. Another Tuesday…Another clear blue sky (at least on the Southside of Virginia.) I just watched too numb to do anything else. Then there was the Pentegon attack and the Flight 93 crash…what was going on? Pam and I decided that I would go to work that day and take the car. She ran up to a local deli to get some sandwiches before I went off to work (which was pretty anti-climatic.) While she was gone, the first of the two towers fell…I remember that James was in the room…I grabbed ahold of him and just held him as tight as I could…All I could think of was all the people whose lives were changed in an instant. I did end up going to work that day. Mike and I watched the TV coverage as traffic in the store was pretty quiet. As a side note, it was interesting that we sold several satellite tv systems and cell phones that day, and we ended up having a good day numbers wise. Our store even stayed open till our regular closing time, while many of the malls closed early.

Where were you when the world stopped turning, that September morn? The memories are still fresh in my mind as if it were yesterday. Carpe Diem! Seize the Day!