Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Still Feeling a Little 9/11ish
I just wanted to share some thoughts about the lingering of 9/11. I don't want to get all political just to point out how it changes things. Things, like the landscape. My mother-in-law posted some photos of NYC pre 9/11 that were kind of both neat and odd to see. On 9/11 the kids and I read a couple of books with 9/11 related stuff in them, The Man Who Walked Between the Towers,
Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey, and September 12th : We Knew Everything Would be Alright. We also talked about what we were doing that day (The first day of Women's Bible Study and a great chance to be with believers) and how our best friend had her daughter that day as the towers were falling and how we had the joy of calling people to let them know this new life had come to our fellowship on this hard and death filled day.
Its, easy sometimes to think that was all 5 years ago but then little things can happen to make you realize that while God is still sovereign and in control how you react to and view things is in some ways very changed.
Example 1: My husband just called from work and his first words were "Turn on the TV" This was the same thing he called and said the morning of 9/11. My heart sank, he went on to tell me there had been some sort of explosion in Center City Philadelphia, near City Hall. My heart jumped and I immediately thought terrorism had come to our town. Fortunately it only seems to be an overloaded electrical cable caused by a work crew but shutting down a good portion of the center of town.
Example 2: My friend CB shared this with me Tuesday night, it was about her experience dropping her daughter at the subway stop that morning: "... As I was pulling to the up I noticed something laying on the street which looked like a cell phone. It was black, laying on the street close enough to be in the shadow of the sidewalk edge. I stopped a little way from the curb, got out, helped with her knapsack, instrument and bag, and waved her off to another day of school. I then looked beside the car and verified that it was a cell phone ..... I bent down without thinking, picked it up off the road, and then about a dozen things flashed through my mind all at once.
1) I figured I would locate the contact list in the phone and try to contact a few people on the list to let someone know I had found the phone, and where, and let the owner know...
2)... Maybe that wouldn't be best.. Maybe I should just hold onto the phone and when it rings next I could answer it, thinking it might be the person who dropped it looking for it....THEN
3) Oh! should I even open it
4) Is it a real phone or something else?
5) Will it set off some explosion somewhere?
6) My daughter just went down the steps and got on a subway car!
7) Well, I am holding it, just like one holds a cell phone, so much for finger prints....
8) MAYBE I shouldn't hold it too much longer!!
9) Maybe, on second thought, I really DON'T want to be holding it when it rings.. nor do I want to take it in my car or into my house.
10) I'm being just a little paranoid here...
11) ... better safe then sorry...
12) Well, Lord, what do you suggest???
I turned off my car, locked it and leaving it walked to the entryway of the Subway Station and spoke quietly to the Septa employee manning the gate. He QUICKLY came around the gate, asked me WHERE exactly I had found it...took it from me said, thankyouverymuch, and disappeared into an office beside the gate and didn't come out again before I drove away. Most likely he just took it in there and was talking to someone else who will do what I was going to do. I sure hope the person who dropped it got it back. As you can see it wasn't the normal list of thoughts one would have had running through one's mind a few years ago... There is nothing quite like fear to wear people down is there????"
Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey, and September 12th : We Knew Everything Would be Alright. We also talked about what we were doing that day (The first day of Women's Bible Study and a great chance to be with believers) and how our best friend had her daughter that day as the towers were falling and how we had the joy of calling people to let them know this new life had come to our fellowship on this hard and death filled day.
Its, easy sometimes to think that was all 5 years ago but then little things can happen to make you realize that while God is still sovereign and in control how you react to and view things is in some ways very changed.
Example 1: My husband just called from work and his first words were "Turn on the TV" This was the same thing he called and said the morning of 9/11. My heart sank, he went on to tell me there had been some sort of explosion in Center City Philadelphia, near City Hall. My heart jumped and I immediately thought terrorism had come to our town. Fortunately it only seems to be an overloaded electrical cable caused by a work crew but shutting down a good portion of the center of town.
Example 2: My friend CB shared this with me Tuesday night, it was about her experience dropping her daughter at the subway stop that morning: "... As I was pulling to the up I noticed something laying on the street which looked like a cell phone. It was black, laying on the street close enough to be in the shadow of the sidewalk edge. I stopped a little way from the curb, got out, helped with her knapsack, instrument and bag, and waved her off to another day of school. I then looked beside the car and verified that it was a cell phone ..... I bent down without thinking, picked it up off the road, and then about a dozen things flashed through my mind all at once.
1) I figured I would locate the contact list in the phone and try to contact a few people on the list to let someone know I had found the phone, and where, and let the owner know...
2)... Maybe that wouldn't be best.. Maybe I should just hold onto the phone and when it rings next I could answer it, thinking it might be the person who dropped it looking for it....THEN
3) Oh! should I even open it
4) Is it a real phone or something else?
5) Will it set off some explosion somewhere?
6) My daughter just went down the steps and got on a subway car!
7) Well, I am holding it, just like one holds a cell phone, so much for finger prints....
8) MAYBE I shouldn't hold it too much longer!!
9) Maybe, on second thought, I really DON'T want to be holding it when it rings.. nor do I want to take it in my car or into my house.
10) I'm being just a little paranoid here...
11) ... better safe then sorry...
12) Well, Lord, what do you suggest???
I turned off my car, locked it and leaving it walked to the entryway of the Subway Station and spoke quietly to the Septa employee manning the gate. He QUICKLY came around the gate, asked me WHERE exactly I had found it...took it from me said, thankyouverymuch, and disappeared into an office beside the gate and didn't come out again before I drove away. Most likely he just took it in there and was talking to someone else who will do what I was going to do. I sure hope the person who dropped it got it back. As you can see it wasn't the normal list of thoughts one would have had running through one's mind a few years ago... There is nothing quite like fear to wear people down is there????"
