I woke up this morning to my phone ringing. It was around 7:00am, and I thought Who would be phoning me now? I missed the call but opened my eyes, since I usually wake up by 7:30am anyway.

I turned on my radio and the first thing I hear is the urbane voice of a news announcer I've listened to and come to trust for the past six years. "The United States has been subjected to an attack of monumental proportions this morning. Hijacked planes have been crashed into the World Trade Centre, collapsing both towers, and into the Pentagon."

I opened my eyes completely then and thought, What the hell?

I rushed out to the living room and turned on the TV whilst I was getting my voice mail. A very dear friend who lives on the Eastern Seaboard had left me a message telling me that the US was under attack. I watched with mounting horror as the CBC played footage of the second airline crash and the complete obliteration of the two towers.

I dropped the phone and didn't even know it. I felt ice in the pit of my stomach and my blood went cold. All of those people, dead. How could this happen?

Then I started thinking of all of the friends I have who lived in New York, in Washington, in Boston, and generally the east coast; the possible secondary effects such as looting and rioting; people I had come to know and care about and enjoy spending time with. Of course, all of the circuits out in the east were overloaded.

I did eventually hear from one of my friends from the east, and it was a relief to hear that she was all right. But I was still stunned, trembling in fact. Despite being in a different country and on the opposite coast, this was so very close to home.

I think over the next few weeks it's going to be a struggle to make sense of something that is at its core utterly senseless; lives have been shattered, anguish and suffering is mounting. All in the name of zealotry and politics. September 11, 2001 is going to be one of those days when the entire world changed.

I hope those who have suffered a loss today will find peace soon.