In Memory of the Fallen

I remember this day every year.  When it happened, I was working for the Buffalo Bills coaching staff.  I got up to go to work that day – it was a Tuesday.  Tuesdays were game-plan days and I started and worked later to assemble the playbooks.  My sister Noreen called our house and told us to turn on the TV.  We were watching a replay when NBC news cut to a live feed as we watched the second plane hit the Tower.  We couldn't believe what we were watching.  I didn't wear any makeup to work that day because I could not stop crying.  My 30 minute drive to work was lonely and reflective.

Once I got to work, the mood there was the most somber I had ever seen.  Even when a team suffers a loss, it is never THAT bad.  Even "Cut Day" isn't this bad.  The whole building was mourning.  We started receiving the calls and emails from employees of the Jets, the Giants and the NFL League Office – about missing family members and friends who worked at the towers.  We watched the events unfold on television as we made a most feeble attempt to accomplish some work.  Everything we were doing that day seemed so insignificant.

At this point, we did not know that the upcoming game this week would be postponed.  I am glad it was postponed.  The NFL needed to double check its security – as well as the stadiums across the league.  More importantly, the families who suffered losses needed the time.  Even if we were not directly touched by the event, it seemed like we all knew someone who knew someone who was.

The loss of innocence that day was a wakeup call for our country.  May we never forget the day, or the lessons we have learned from it.

God bless all the families who lost someone that day.  God bless all the troops who protect us.

May we never forget the lessons we learned, but may we have peace in our hearts.