Daddy's Home: A Step Back in Time to 9/11

September 11 will forever be etched in my memory.  I was working from home that morning and received a call from my husband, who instructed me to turn on the news.  He said that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center and I reasoned that it must have been an accident - never imagining that anyone in their right mind would conjure up a plot to use 747's to attack innocent people who we both knew and loved.

I literally stared at that television screen with my mouth agape, watching as reporters ran for their lives as they attempted to share the news.  My husband and I stayed on the phone for at least an hour as we watched the towers disintegrate into thin air and as he wracked his brain, thinking about all the traders and brokers he knew who had worked there, he froze for a split second and then let out a wail.  "Oh no!!!"  "David works at the World Trade Center."

David and his wife Holli were the first friends we had made when we moved to New Rochelle.  We met them both on our commute to work -  Darin would take the earlier train with David and I'd ride home with David and Holli on the way back from the city.  Holli and I were also pregnant at the same time and she became the big sister I never had.  Since she was three months ahead of me, Holli prepared me for everything along my pregnancy journey, including childbirth.  I vividly recall sitting on our Metronorth train as David and Holli contemplated names for their unborn daughter.  They eventually agreed upon a lovely choice, Rachel Sophia. 

David was one of those people who would gladly go out of his way for you if you needed his help. When our daughter was an infant, we were several miles away from home at Home Depot and our car started emitting a strange odor. We instantly called David to ask his advice (our friend knew about everything from cars, to computers to home repair to landscaping) and he offered to pick us up. David was a soft spoken, kind hearted, funny and generous soul who managed to remain calm, cool and collected even in the toughest situations.  When he was senselessly taken away from his pregnant wife that day,  I couldn't imagine how things would ever be the same.

The next few days were a blur.  I dismissed my nervous stomach (turns out it was morning sickness) and raced over to Holli's house so I could be there for my friend, hoping to raise her spirits (if that was even possible) and holding back tears as she and her family watched the news hoping that David was somehow still alive.  During those first few days, people still had hope that they would locate their loved ones but it soon became apparent that their family members would never be coming home.

The hardest part about losing David was the impact he had made on his young daughter.  At nearly three years old, their sweet natured little girl was a spitting image of her dad.  Unaware of what was happening around her, she stood at their bay window, staring outside and squealing "Daddy's Home" every time she saw a car pass by.  David's car had been parked at the train station and Holli didn't have the heart to bring it back home.

They found David's remains just a few days after 9/11 and his funeral was one of the first to take place after the terrorist attacks rocked my entire generation to its core.  My eyes still well up with tears when I think about the fact that my dear friend lost her soulmate that tragic day.  She was eight months pregnant when David was taken away from her.  One month later, she gave birth to another beautiful girl who will soon be celebrating her 10th birthday.

Nearly nine months after September 11, Holli was at my side when I began experiencing labor pains.  She took me to the doctor and to the diner where she attempted to help me keep my mind off the pain as I clutched the table between contractions.  Our son, Dylan was born a few hours later.  Dylan's Hebrew name is Josef David and we decided to name him in honor of our dear friend, David Silver, a gentle man who will never ever be forgotten.  

When you reflect on how 9/11 impacted your life, I hope you will take a moment and think about our friend David Silver and the thousands of incredible individuals who lost their lives that fateful day.  Though their time with us was cut short, the impact they made on the lives of their families and loved ones is truly immeasurable.