012. Thanksgiving

Just got back from a thanksgiving mass that was sponsored by my family.
This is in remembrance of the 9-11 attack that happened 8 years ago.



Why Thanksgiving?
As some of you might know, most of my family are living in New York. Our home is in Manhattan and my family/extended family all work in Manhattan as well.

I was watching CNN when they did the breaking news about a plane hitting the twin towers.

I think my heart stopped for a while.

My pamangkin, Rina, works at the Twin Towers (Tower 1 to be exact). It's 9 am and it's a workday.

Can you imagine the fear I felt when I heard that news? My family is in New York and I am all alone here in Manila. I immediately called our NY house but no one is answering. It actually made me feel a little better, knowing the phone is still ringing. Morbid, yes, but I felt relieved.

Do I dare call Rina? Well, I did.

The number you're dialling is out of coverage.

....

WTH. I don't know what else to do so I called my sister who lives in Chicago. They heard the news and was trying to reach the NY folks albeit unsuccessfully.

At that time, all I can do is pray the rosary and ask for strength and guidance for this whole ordeal.

Around 11 pm (MNL time), the phone rang and I was awashed with relief when I heard my parents' voice telling me that they are all okay. Rina wasn't able to go to work since her baby, Erin, suddenly got sick. It was kinda weird that everyone was running a little late for work. My other pamangkin, Ria, was outside the subway station when the plane crashed. She was able to see when it hit the building. She came home covered in dust. Dirty but safe. I can deal with that. :D

That event made me appreciate how important my family is to me. So every year, we celebrate mass as a family. We maybe in different locations but our bonds became stronger every single day.