story6390.xml

story6390.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

I WAS AT WORK , JUST ABOUT TO SIGN ON TO THE PHONE TO TAKE CALLS FROM OUR CUSTOMERS AND PROVIDERS AT BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF SOUTH CAROLINA, WHEN A CALL CAME THROUGH ON MY PERSONAL LINE.THE CALLER ID SHOWED THAT IT WAS MY BROTHER CALLING, WHICH WAS STRANGE BECAUSE IT WAS RATHER EARLY. MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH MY FAMILY, OR THAT SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED. TURNS OUT HE WAS JUST CALLING TO SAY HEY AND HE JUST HAPPEN TO BE WATCHING CNN. WE WERE DISCUSSING MY SON AND HIS DAUGHTER , JUST SILLY THINGS THAT CHILDREN DO WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN HE SAID "YOU AREN'T GOING TO BELIVE THIS... A PLANE , A HUGE PLANE, JUST FLEW INTO ONE OF THE TWIN TOWERS IN NEW YORK!" MY RESPONSE WAS THAT OF SADNESS TO THINK OF ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WERE "ACCIDENTLY" HURT BY THIS OBVIOUS MISTAKE. THEN WITHIN MINUTES LATER HE SAYS "OH MY GOD!!!!" SO LOUDLY THAT I KNEW SOMETHING HORRIBLE HAPPENED, HE JUST KEPT SHOUTING "OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!" IT TOOK HIM A MINUTE BEFORE HE REALIZED THAT I WAS STILL ON THE LINE SCREAMING"WHAT.. WHAT?" ALL HE SAID WAS THIS WAS NO MISTAKE OR ACCIDENT, ANOTHER PLANE JUST HIT THE OTHER TOWER! MY MIND SUDDENLY TOOK ME BACK OVER 9 YEARS AGO , WHEN AS A JUNIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL OUR BAND WAS INVITED TO PREFORM IN THE MACY'S DAY PARADE, ONE OF THE ADDED BENEFITS WAS A TRIP TO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. THE IMAGE CAME BACK TO ME SO CLEARLY, AS IF I WAS STANDING THERE ON TOP OF THE OBSERVATION DECK AT THAT VERY MOMENT, WHAT I REALLY COULDNT REMEMBER BEFORE, THE SCENE WAS IF I COULD REACH OUT AND TOUCH THE PILLOW LIKE CLOUDS THAT I SAW ON THAT DAY 9 YEARS AGO. MY HEART FELT AS IF IT HAD STOPPED AND THOUGH EVERYONE AROUND ME WAS GOING ABOUT THE DAY, I WAS THERE ON THE PHONE WITH MY BROTHER ,SILENTLY SCREAMING OUT IN PAN FOR THE THOUSANDS THAT I KNEW WERE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT OUT OF THOSE TOWERS. EVEN THOUGH I WAS SAFELY IN MY CUBE AT WORK ON THAT DAY, AT THAT MOMENT I KNEW THAT THE UNITED STATES WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME, THAT IT WOULD BE A LONG TIME BEFORE OUR CHILDREN OR OURSELVES FELT SAFE AGAIN IN OUR OWN BACKYARDS. I KNEW THEN THAT AMERICA WOULD HAVE ONLY ONE CHOICE BUT TO DRAW OUR STRENGTH AND FAITH FROM THE ONE PERSON THAT THIS COUNTRY WAS BUILT UPON, AND THAT IS OUR SAVIOR AND LORD JESUS CHRIST.
MY HEART IS HEAVY BURDEN FOR THE NUMEROUS FAMILIES THAT WERE UNFAIRLY EFFECTED BY THIS ACT OF TERROR, AND FROM A LITTLE TOWN IN COLUMBIA SOUTH CAROLINA PLEASE KNOW THAT THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE THERE WHO CONTINUES TO PRAY FOR ALL OF YOU EVERYDAY.