Years ago, while living in Northern New Jersey, I was invited to a New York City talk show. As the day approached, I ended up rescheduling (to the following Tuesday).
In and around this time, me and wifey purchased a new home (fixer upper) in Glen Ridge, NJ. It needed lots of work.
For the fixer upper, I began scheduling trades to acquire quotes. The first trade scheduled was the plumber. The day was set for Tuesday at 9:00am EST, which conflicted with my rescheduled talk show appearance.
It’s now Tuesday morning, September 11th, 2001. The doorbell rings at 8:55am. The plumber arrives a bit early. As he is let into the house, he has this dumbfounded look. He says, “Have you heard?” I said, “No, what’s going on?” He says, “A plane has crashed into the World Trade Center!”
My first thought was this is a terrible accident. After the second plane crashed, I realized something was wrong. My second thought was I could’ve easily been in New York City during this time. In fact, had I decided to attend the talk show, it’s very likely I would’ve been caught underneath the World Trade Center during the plane crashes!
Based on where I lived, the NJ/NYC Path train was the quickest route to New York City. My destination stop would’ve been the World Trade Center arriving between 8:45am – 9:00am!
The first plane crashed into the World Trade Center towers at 8:46am, and the second plane crashed at 9:02am!
Wow! I thank God every day! Had we not purchased a home during this time, it’s highly likely I wouldn’t been caught in the middle of this disaster!
On this day, let’s be grateful for what we do have. Tell your kids you love them, give them a big hug and last but not least, give them a sloppy juicy kiss!