Reflections on the Day

Today we attended a social event for our agency. I'll give you highlights, since I am too tired to be all that witty right now.

1. A referral was assigned today to the couple who was next up in the process. The way they did it was very cool. A little girl came out holding a bunch of pink balloons including one that said "It's a girl". Then another older child (adopted as a baby from Colombia) read a letter "from" the baby. It basically said, My name is xxxx and I was born on April xxxx. And my parents are...." And after a heart stopping pause they said the couples names. It was a great thrill for them and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. The picture was adorable.

2. I won a big basket of hair care products (KMS, Redken & Kiwi) in a raffle. I was very exicited. I don't even know how to use half the stuff I got (Blow silk? Sounds personal).

3. We got a thank you card from Arturo, the founder's husband who we entertained last month. He can't wait to see us in Bogota. We can't wait to see him either.

4. We got our official acceptance letter from the orphanage hand delivered. Now we just wait for THE CALL. We have NO idea how long this will take. The couple who got the referral today waited two months from their acceptance letter. The couple that is next up should get their referral tomorrow (there is a fundraising event and a referral is usually given there) which will be about 2 months for them too. We are next up after that. That would mean around November for us. Unless our agency doesn't get anymore referrals this year (they usually only get two in the fall) which means it wouldn't be until next year. I wouldn't mind so much except Christmas is in the middle there, and I would really like to know if we will get the baby before or after. Oh well.

Tomorrow is September 11th. As someone who works only a few blocks from ground zer0, I am not looking forward to going into work. To be honest, I will try to think of it as any other work day tomorrow, mostly so I don't get too nervous on the subway or on the street. I will try to take time to reflect on the day, probably later on when I am back home.

My story from that day is one of inconvenience...nothing in comparison to the things some people had to face.

On the radio that morning I heard a plane had hit the building. Thinking it was only a small plane that met an accidental end, I got on my normal commuter train into the city. Thanks to cell phones, we all quickly found out the truth. The train continued on into Penn Station. When we arrived, they evacuated the building. I walked with a group of people towards the 59th Str bridge with the intention of walking over into Queens. As we walked, a police officer stopped a city bus, ushered a group of people on, and let the bus go through the Midtown Tunnel. Once on the other side (we all applauded on the other side), I had no choice but to walk miles and miles to a working subway station. I took the subway to Jamaica station, and took a very crowded (but deadly silent) train back home. I left the house at 8 and didn't get home until 4. Because cell phone service was non existent, my family didn't know where I was until I got home. I didn't understand the impact of what happened until my husband ran up to me and hugged me when I got out of the car. I cried when I finally got to watch television and saw what happened. There are things I will never forget about that day. The crisp clean air and blue sky as I walked by a little park with children playing. The dead silence of the city streets as hundreds of people walked towards the various ways out. People silently standing at the open windows and doors of bars watching the television coverage or around cars listening to the radio. It was like a movie. The days after were surreal. We returned to our building 2 weeks later. Big trailers holding generators to supply electricity to the buildings. Huge cables snaking through the streets. Buildings covered in ash and soot. National guard manning the barricades surrounding subway exits, checking IDs to make sure you belonged downtown. Running my department out of the company board room because our other building was still unsafe.

Fortunately for me, I didn't know a single person who died that day. I heard lots of stories, and knew people who lost family and friends, but no one I knew personally. So it's a little easier for me. But I will take the time to give thanks for my good fortune, and to pray that the affected families continue to heal, and to just....remember.