A Life's Pursuit: Immortal Moments: Remembering 911

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Immortal Moments: Remembering 911

aftermath


It is the anniversary date of America's most recent wake-up call 9/11: September 11 , the day we got sucka punched on our own front porch. Its odd that events can so stamp their presence and images into your mind that you remember the air temperature, what you were doing and who was around you when you felt what you felt. I was at the office that morning sitting in front of my computer at my glass desk sipping on green tea when the Director of Marketing burst into the room declaring we were under attack! I remember being briefly confused trying to decide which ex-employee was out in the parking lot. Then we were all assembled together to watch TV. I remember watching the first tower falling thinking we were watching that Will Smith movie, Independence Day or something from Terminator; either way, it MUST be a movie. I remember my lungs gasping for air when the second tower was hit as I recognized the New York skyline. The room temperature dropped drasticly as the room filled with low sobs and whimpers. We were told to go home and make preparations. I immediately went home to join my mother-in-law and wife glued to the television screen. It had only been by accident that we had switched her flight a day sooner from LAX. It was impossible not to watch in spite of being played over and over and over by the media. But wait, what are those bug-like things flying around the building? We gasped at the horror when the cameras zoomed in to show that it was actually people leaping to their deaths as the building fires had become so intense, swift death was a better option. It was like the absense of sound at this discovery except the TV and your own heartbeat so loud in my ears that I hesitated to even look outside. It was a day I will never forget, packed with a full range of emotions I had never experienced simutaneously. Who could be so audacious, so cowardly, so evil, so bold to do something so horrific? In the end, the monsters were just people like you and me, with a lot more hatred and a lot less feeling. It was the beginning of a new world view.


We cant let our children walk down the streets alone anymore. Would we dare go to sleep without locking our doors? Do we catch ourselves watching people who may not look like us with a lot more suspicion? The truth is, the enemy doesnt walk around with a tatoo on his forhead that says ENEMY. In fact, it could be anyone you have known for years, grew up with or even be one of your siblings. Our country has been very good at profiling in spite of the afore mentioned fact. The days of the cowboys in black or white hats are gone. We will need much more wisdom in determining who is friend or foe. It is true as well that September 11 showed the world ability of our extraordinary ordinary heroes disguised in everyday smile and caring. America is deeply scarred by today's date; but we need our scars; they empower us to rise up like the phoenix and unite to become a far greater force than the one struck down. The dog on the porch is awake; no longer basking in the warmth of the sun unaware of the snakes beneath the doorstep.


May we never forget our heroes or rest on their sacrifices. America may not be perfect but its a lot fewer steps from here. The red white and blue is made up of many colors; all standing together not only for the strong but the weak and even sometimes for the offender. I dont know how much of God's mercy we have left in the bank or what the interest is paying; but I know we dont need to run out. In the end, what we love and hate may become the same thing and today and tomorrow may become indistinguishable. So long as we have hope and the strength to lift our heads towards the hills, toward the dawn of a new future; we will never stop getting up from the mud.

bad dog

1 comment:

Andrew Stanfield said...

I'll never forget where I was- a mechanic shop in Baton Rouge. I noticed nothing was getting done on my vehicle and hadn't been for nearly an hour when I asked what was going on. The guy told me, and I asked if I could watch the TV with them in their break room; they said yes. We watched in horror as the second tower fell. Puts everything in perspective: the little nitpicking problems in life didn't seem so important anymore.