I don't listen to the news while getting ready for work. Instead, I play music to rev me up, or to relax, depending on the way the day is developing. That's because the rest of my day is nothing but news - combing the wires, talking to sources, writing, and staying alert for creative stimulus. On September 11th, there was nothing but bad news.

I was stepping into my office at 8:30 central time when one of the Realty Times partners sprinted by asking me over his shoulder if I had heard the news. He was on his way to our conference room to rig a pocket TV so that the Dallas bureau could all watch the unfolding events - horrors the entire world will never forget.

Stupefied, but aware of being "at work," we would periodically return to our desks and dully attempt to eke out something productive, but everyone's concentration and morale was shattered. At lunchtime, Realty Times owner Jody Lane sent the staff home to be with family and friends.

The rest of the day, I was with family, called every person I knew in my phone book, and watched TV like the rest of the world. In a mid-afternoon stupor, my sister and I drove to the local hospital to give blood. To our surprise, we were turned away. Blood drives had been so successful from the morning that the nurses were asking those of us in long lines down the hallway to come back. We left our names and cell phone numbers along with dozens of other people. As we drove home, we noted that strip malls along the way were closed in deference to the day's tragedy. Some homes already had flags waving in the yard.

With no appetite for dinner, we turned the news on again, and learned that the country was reeling but united. We learned that blood banks all over the nation were overwhelmed with willing donors. Spontaneous candlelight vigils were happening across the country. We learned that heroes were among us, as airline passengers and rescue crews were reported to have given their lives to save their fellow human beings. We saw a President's purposeful stride across the White House lawn ignite confidence and pride in our nation's leaders. We felt our patriotism reawaken.

Although I wasn't personally affected with the loss of a loved one, I am part of the family of man that feels anguish and sorrow at the death of innocent people. I'm outraged by the sickening disregard for humanity that would allow the planning and execution of such a hate-filled course of action.

I want to say how sorry I am to all the victims families and friends that they have lost loved ones in such a senseless act of unholy war. Pardon my survivor's guilt and self-administered therapy in writing this, but I need to get my feelings out, but I'll bet plenty of others do, too. If you feel the same way, reach out with me across the Internet and let's bond with as many people as possible. I want to read your stories, too.

Some of your sisters and brothers in the real estate community have shared their thoughts below:

Manhattan brokers tell their stories

Deborah Gimelson, Coldwell Banker Hunt Kennedy

"Since our office is below 14th Street, it's unlikely I will get a close look at what happened before next week.

"However, I can tell you this: I have never seen New York like this before. Yesterday, around 9:30, I was in a cab going past the corner of 5th Avenue and 24th Street. 5th Avenue was packed wall to wall with people watching the gaping hole in the WTC; little did they know a second one would open up in minutes.

"Today, our skyline is no longer what it was. But New Yorkers are amazing. Everyone in the streets, and you can smell the burning up to 23rd Street where I live, is talking about it, comforting each other, seeing what they can do to help. I had a client who was staying in the Marriott at the WTC; she managed to get to New Jersey, but now we are busily putting together her identification papers, which all perished. I feel we are a microcosm of what will go on here in the coming months: little by little, this city will put itself back together, not only in terms of real estate in the financial district, but in terms of its broken heart."

Judith Saunders, The Halstead Property Company

"On the morning of September 11, I was at my desk and received a call from my daughter in Atlanta notifying me of what was happening. I stayed on the phone and listened to her television, and then someone in the office had a radio, so I hung up with her but then I couldn’t recontact her because the phones were dead.

"When I heard the Pentagon had been hit, I walked to my husband's office about a half a mile, he is a pyschologist, He had been on the phone with patients in Turkey and he was off the phone and was watching a small television he kept in the office.

"After a while we walked to a small hospital to find out if we could donate blood, and they said there is nobody to receive the blood. We wondered if they were all dead because there were very few signs of life.

The rest of the day, we went to my husband's sons and wives and children, we live within three blocks of each other.

"From my home, I could look out the window and see the twin towers. It was the way I could gauge whether it was a clear day or not. I always saw them but they would indicate the air quality.

"One of my clients who is selling an apartment - I don't know what has happened to him. He worked at the World Trade Center. One of my law school classmates, I ran into late Tuesday afternoon. She had taken to the time to vote in the primary, and got into downtown just in time to see people jumping out of windows. Her office was in Tower Two.

"I'm dreading things returning to normal and being with everybody that I work with because everybody will have known people and then we will have names and faces to go with the dead. We will find out about people that we didn't even remember that we know. There are really far less than six degrees of separation.

"There is no business right now. My company has canceled all ads through Sunday because it is inappropriate. We are just going through the motions. The computers in my office aren't working, so I just go in order to go but there is nothing to do.

"So we are coordinating an effort to find landlords and individuals with furnished and unfurnished apartments willing to donate them for two to eight weeks for people who have been evacuated from their homes in lower Manhattan."

"Nobody is really OK, but we are getting through it."

From across the country

Rose Crawley, incoming president Southern Maryland Association of Realtors

"Words fail me. I was at the Maryland Association of Realtors convention, at a meeting and my husband came in and grabbed me, and we dispersed the meeting. Outside, there were two TV's showing the twin towers. The first hit happened while we were at meetings and didn't know what was happening. We were closest to the TV and they couldn't get the volume up, so we would have to turn around and tell people behind us what was happening. You could see the reactions as the wave of information hit one person behind the other. A woman started crying and said her husband worked at the Pentagon.

"My mother is a Hungarian holocaust survivor, and I talked to her last night. Her voice was a monotone as she said, "That is how it started with us. The bombings were in other cities." They thought they were safe in Budapest, and then the Jews in Hungary were taken at the end of the war.

"We can't get away from the TV, so the officials canceled the convention."

Petey Parker, head of relocation, Ebby Halliday, Realtors

"What did I do? - Watched live TV in disbelief - hugged the folks closest to me - called some of the people I love the most - answered calls from people who needed to share unknown feelings - and kept on working.

"How do I feel? - A sense of loss for the lives lost and for the friends and family that will need to work their way through this unthinkable reality. Personal thoughts, memories of the WTC - Windows of the world with the view ; with a sense of guilt not to immediately grasp the severity of the situation.

"Today I feel the strength of this Nation. A nation so full of spirit, faith, and Can Do attitude that NO ONE can hold us down. I feel proud of being an American. There is no way to look for logic with terrorists - The insanity of considering LIFE as meaningless - and the CAUSE above all is so far removed from the foundation of our USA. I believe - We fall to our knees for a few hours and will stand taller than ever!

"The only positive I can find in this will be what we learn and improve upon for our future."

Lawrence Schoeffler, Best Image Marketing

"I asked my people in customer service and editorial about their feelings. Somber, not many calls, not many clients asking for anything. Everyone was just feeling it. As a company we all convened at lunch here yesterday and talked about the attacks and the affect it was having on us, and we all sent our blessings to those in trouble. We agreed that if people needed to they could leave for the rest of the day. My wife is donating blood today. Personal tragedy on a mass mind scale. As a race I don't think we'll ever be the same. I'm not."

Hugh Siler, Siler and Company, real estate industry public relations

"The loss of seeing parts of our nation literally destroyed are painful images that have been etched in one's mind. I, like most everyone else, found it impossible to focus on the tasks at hand that before the devastation seemed important -- but now are trivial. It's hard to put into words how much I'd like to help out -- in some way -- any way -- after doing some research, seems like one of the best ways to help is by donating blood at the Red Cross -- which I'll be doing."

Agent News extends its heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families in this national tragedy. To share your feelings, please write to us and include where you were and what you were doing in the interactive log-in below.

Published: September 14, 2001

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