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I had tried to escape the day a little on this past 9/11.

It coincided with the Koran burning/ Mosque controversy and I didn’t like all the politics on the day.

I ended up VERY LATE...flipping to History Channel by accident....and I stayed up and watched ‘till sleep absolutely took me over.

It was like God said, “You will not escape this, Missy.”

9/11 was terrible for me. I was working the front desk at an ER. We were slow and the head of security came down. He stood, for a moment in the waiting area...looking at the Today Show. From behind the desk, I saw his face change. He looked at me...almost in a panic and said, “Julia...is this a movie?” I said, “I had the Today Show on....” and he said, “oooooooohhhhhh.....oooooooh...” it was a gutteral thing and I ran out from behind the desk to look at the TV.

We watched the second plane hit together and I ran to the back to tell the staff that we were under attack.

I remember the docs and nurses and other staff in scrubs standing there watching the TV like a choir singing “O”...but in silence.

Oddly enough...we got very busy and I was busy busy. I remember hearing “Ohh...no...” from the lobby and ran out to see the Pentagon on fire.

My brother was in DC. I let one tear slip down and I remembered I had a job to do and I couldn’t break down.

I’ll never forget a very tall, thin black man later in the waiting area as everyone was watching....watching....watching....and he stood up.

He said, “I’ve been a Democrat all my life. All my life! But I am so glad that George Bush is president right now...because WE are gonna kick some ASS!”

I think that every year on the anniversary...I learn something new. We had so much thrust on us so quickly that it was impossible to take it all in and as the years unroll....

I understand it better. And I am still as mad today as I was on 9/11.