On Sept 10, 2001, I was scheduled to fly to Philadelphia to shadow a Sr. lead technical sales consultant who worked the east coast region. We were meeting with the client to present at 9am the next morning. I was scheduled to be there 2 days. I get to the airport and flights were delayed because high winds from the remnants of a hurricane were affecting air traffic. After my flight was finally cancelled, they put me on a flight scheduled to leave at a different airport first thing in the morning on Sept 11th. It was the best they could do for me.
I called up a friend of mine who at the time had a women's prayer circle. Wasn't sure at the time why I felt like I needed to go, I wasn't a part of her group and not deeply religious, but I told her I feel like I need to be there that evening for whatever reason. I left from the airport in a taxi and went straight to her house.
As we are praying, I had a vision of a very bright pentagon shape. It was lit up and glowing. I saw a hole in a building with fire burning. I couldn't really tell the full of the picture, but I saw that much clearly. It led me to pray even harder. I told my friend and another woman there about it. They gave some interpretation, but little did we know what it really meant.
My friend drove me home and I told her to drive through the city past downtown. It was out of her way, but I was led to do this. I prayed for the Sears Tower and a protection over the Chicago area. Again, not knowing why. I just did it.
I was tired when I got home. I left my suitcase packed since I would need to leave by 4am to get to the airport and catch the early flight. At that time, I had travelled for 4 years for work and not once had I ever missed waking up to catch a flight.
That morning I woke up late for the first and only time ever since for a flight.
I, of course, was panicked because how could I be so stupid to miss a flight! My manager is going to fire me! We were trying to buy a home! OMG! What am I going to do and say???!
While I'm trying to think of a good reason to tell my manager that I missed this flight, my husband calls and asks me if I was watching TV. Of course I wasn't - I don't watch TV in the mornings ever. He tells me that one of the WT towers is on fire and I need to see it. I tell him to quit joking about stuff (I hadn't shared about the night before, he just jokes sometimes). I'm freaking out about losing my job.
I finally turn on the TV in time to see the fullness of the vision I had of the burning building after the second plane hit and then later the towers to fall. I was stunned and begin to panic for my NYC family that lives and works in the area. My cousin's husband is with the NYPD, she's a nurse. Two of my aunts worked in the area at the time. I have more aunts and uncles in Queens/Brooklyn/LI, so not near Ground Zero. Still, couldn't get through to any of them for hours. My Mom who lived here in Chicago was a wreck.
My manager was so relieved when he reached me. He was happy I hadn't made it to Philadelphia, that I hadn't boarded the plane that morning which would have left me stranded trying to get back home. I had my job still, I could take comfort in that.
I didn't learn about the Pentagon until later and by that point, I was glad I had the house to myself.
I always think about that day now with a mix of emotions and it took years to really grasp the deeper lessons that were happening, had been happening, and continue to happen.
I'll always remember that day.