The whole world was in shock, and the media struggled to recapture that one moment at 8:46 a.m. that changed the course of our nation.
I will never forget the confusion I felt when I saw the TV coverage for the first time. Had it not been for the fact that I was there when it happened, I would have sworn what I was seeing on the news was a different building entirely.
You see, my recollection was of a building defeated on the first blow and crumbling from the moment of impact. There was no pretense on the inside. Beams were contracting, walls were caving in, and floors collapsed seconds after the first impact. That building was coming down.
What I experienced was not a conspiracy or question of how many bombs went off and caused the fall. It was quite honestly a towering inferno, and its demise was like 110 stories of dominos, the first one tipped when an American Airlines weapon of mass destruction crashed into Tower One.
Every channel showed what they thought they saw, which was two towers after the initial attack with some damage from the crashes and a lot of smoke. What cameras saw from the outside was NOT what was going on inside. They showed the world the towers severely injured but standing strong and still fighting.
It is no wonder the world was surprised when they fell. It is no wonder that the shock wave was so all-consuming that it left our president speechless. They never saw it coming.
Marcia spoke later about times changing and sleeper cells, and then President Bush gave foreign nations an immediate choice in their relationship with the United States. In plain English, black and white, he said, “You’re either with us or you’re against us” in the fight against terrorism.
These were powerful words, and at first everyone applauded his boldness. The words good and evil incited ideas of “justice” and restored our belief in “freedom.” The notion of a war on terror and obliterating Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda were quickly embraced. What we were blinded to in our demand for justice was that a war on terror meant more people would die.
My phone rang.
“Hello.”
“Leslie?”
“Yes. Lawrence?”
“Yes. Are you okay, little girl?”
“I think so.” Silence. Then the question, “Lawrence, does this mean what I think it means?”
With no hesitation came the answer, “Yes.”
I cried. He told me he would pray for me, and we hung up the phone.
My brother has always been my rod. I weigh the significance of most things by his reactions or his words. Neither of us needed full sentences to understand the other. Now he was confirming for me that 8:46 that morning did not simply mark the beginning of a war or change the course of our nation; it was much more significant than just that. It signaled the crossing over of time in the end of days.
My attention turned back to the TV coverage, almost expecting to see Jesus in the clouds. I’m not sure if I was more terrified of Osama bin Laden or Jesus Christ’s return. In that moment, neither looked good to me. I wasn’t ready.
I was so shook up that I passed out on Marcia’s lap. She held me.
I woke to a surreal type of silence, then a screech of tires in my driveway. I peed on myself. Monai walked through the door slowly at first, cautiously and unsure. She was obviously dreading what she might find in place of the woman she watched leave for work that morning. She looked at me but kept her distance. Her eyes filled. The sigh from her heart filled the room.
Then, just behind her, my joy returned to me. I opened wide my arms to receive my only son. He ran to me with tears of relief and praises to the Lord for bringing Mommy home. I exhaled his name . . . Eliot.
We looked at each other and cried tears of joy in the unfamiliar beauty of surrender—WEAK.
We merged the weight of every power lunch and play date until we could in perfect rhythm and easy gracefulness release the day—FAILED.
We embraced the new beat—COLLAPSED.
But the father said to his servants . . .”Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” So they began to celebrate. (Luke 15:22, 24)
I was home!
About the Author
LESLIE HASKIN is one of fifteen children born of humble beginnings to a Baptist minister in Chicago. Her drive for success and independence led her to New York in 1987, and later to Kemper Insurance Company in 2001, where she achieved great success. She became the director of operations and one of only two African-Americans to hold executive title within the corporation’s eastern region. Her office was on the thirty-sixth floor of the World Trade Center, Tower One, where on September 11, 2001, she almost lost her life.
Today this single parent is active in outreach ministry. Her message is simple: “God is bigger than our burdens.” She is the founder of a ministry designed to provide rehabilitation and healing to women and children who are homeless and victims of domestic violence. She has written four books to date: Between Heaven and Ground Zero, Held, God Has Not Forgotten About You, and When Life Doesn’t Make Sense (to be published 2012).
Leslie has become a favorite on national media such as CNN, The 700 Club, and Moody Radio, and has appeared at several memorials honoring the victims and survivors of 9/11. She has served as keynote speaker at national and regional conferences throughout the United States, including The West Point Women of the Chapel, North American Missions Board—World Changes, and The Place of Surrender Singles Conference. She makes her home in the Catskill Mountains of New York. For more information, visit www.lesliehaskin.net.
Timeline
September 11, 2001
8:46 a.m.
Terrorists crash American Airlines Flight 11 into the World Trade Center’s north tower, floors 93–99.
9:03 a.m.
Terrorists crash United Airlines Flight 175 into the south tower, floors 77–85.
9:37 a.m.
Terrorists crash American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon.
9:59 a.m.
The south tower collapses.
10:03 a.m.
Hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 crashes near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
10:28 a.m.
The north tower collapses.
* * *
The attacks on the World Trade Center killed 2,749 people.
In all, 2,973 people died as a result of the attacks on September 11, 2001.
Escape from the World Trade Center Page 8