Share Your Sept. 11 Stories With Mokena Patch

On Sept. 11, 2001, I woke up when the sun trickled on my face. I smiled at the warmth and stretched. My bed was warm and I had nowhere to be for hours. I had a momentary thought about how nice and good and whole the world could be.

The phone rang.

"The World Trade Center is gone," my mother said.

Where were you?

It's nearly 10 years after the day that shook America. In preparation for an anniversary no one wants, Mokena Patch is starting to collect your stories about where you were, how it affected our lives and what the day means to you.

It's part of a planned project tentatively called "After September: Mokena Remembers."

In addition to compiling all the stories, we'll be collecting some residents' stories on video.

Every story is worth telling, even if it's just the memory of holding your children a little tighter or sharing your worry that day with a stranger.

To share your story, e-mail pauld@patch.com with the subject line "Sept. 11." Include your name, current age and job along with the story. Please indicate if you would be willing to be videotaped telling your story. Feel free to include any photographs or videos you wish to share.

Tell your story in as many words as you see fit, but all submissions are subject to editing for content, grammar and length prior to publication. Submissions deemed unsuitable will not be used.

These are our stories and our history. Mokena Patch wants to be the digital home keeping these stories alive.