story6042.xml
Title
story6042.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-12
911DA Story: Story
September 11, 2001 ? ?In my Son?s eye?s ? by Randy Sullivan
As I sat at my desk reading an email I heard the first reports of the attack. The rest of the day was a mask of confusion and chaos that will forever sit as a great weight on my heart and the hearts of all my countrymen.
I watched as a plane smashed into the second tower. I watched the towers come down. I saw my countrymen scatter in all directions horrified, as nightmare became reality for them and all that watched. And then the Pentagon, the bastion of defense for the entire world was under attack. And I could do nothing but pray and try to hold back my rage.
As the rage turned to tears I thought about my family and those that I love. And I got another email. From one of those I love. One alone in her building in the midst of the attack. With no understanding of what was happening and no knowledge of how to escape. Terrified, she would get out and walk north trying to figure out how to get home. And there was nothing I could do but pray.
Co-workers in clusters around television sets watched as the horror continued to unfold and I remained at my desk hoping to get another email from my friend saying she had reached safety. Speculation of the damage and who was responsible continued throughout my workday as my eyes looked to the sky. Not sure what I was watching for but fearful never the less. Numb faces passing in the hallways and finally time to head home.
Stopping at my church to spend time in prayer I ran across my assistant pastor who was stunned and confused. We talked and I knew I could do nothing but pray. During my prayer time in the sanctuary I realized that what was happening here was a re-awakening of a country that once relied on God and God alone. But in it?s rise to the top somehow lost focus on what made us a great nation. I prayed a prayer of thanksgiving that in bringing us to our knees as one body that we would stand together again as a nation under God. That we would lean on him for all understanding and vengeance would surely be his.
Upon my arrival home I could see clearly the fear in my wife and son. We embraced as a family and walked to the house with my son clinging tightly on my shoulder. He is only five years old but somehow understood something very bad had happened to his world. And my anger grew as I saw the innocence fade from his face as I tried to answer his questions.
He knew about the bad guys and he knew about the planes. He knew that the buildings came down and that there were children suddenly without parents. He rattled off something about a "find a parent day" where the kids who had lost their mom or dad could find new parents that had no kids. And I suddenly couldn?t handle the emotions of the day.
As I sat and wept, my boy got into his bunny rabbit sleeping bag. I asked him what he was doing and he said he had to go to sleep. I said, it's very early, why are you doing that? And he said just this, ?I have to have a dream to tell me how to save the world?.
And there was nothing I could do, nothing I could say but pray.
As I sat at my desk reading an email I heard the first reports of the attack. The rest of the day was a mask of confusion and chaos that will forever sit as a great weight on my heart and the hearts of all my countrymen.
I watched as a plane smashed into the second tower. I watched the towers come down. I saw my countrymen scatter in all directions horrified, as nightmare became reality for them and all that watched. And then the Pentagon, the bastion of defense for the entire world was under attack. And I could do nothing but pray and try to hold back my rage.
As the rage turned to tears I thought about my family and those that I love. And I got another email. From one of those I love. One alone in her building in the midst of the attack. With no understanding of what was happening and no knowledge of how to escape. Terrified, she would get out and walk north trying to figure out how to get home. And there was nothing I could do but pray.
Co-workers in clusters around television sets watched as the horror continued to unfold and I remained at my desk hoping to get another email from my friend saying she had reached safety. Speculation of the damage and who was responsible continued throughout my workday as my eyes looked to the sky. Not sure what I was watching for but fearful never the less. Numb faces passing in the hallways and finally time to head home.
Stopping at my church to spend time in prayer I ran across my assistant pastor who was stunned and confused. We talked and I knew I could do nothing but pray. During my prayer time in the sanctuary I realized that what was happening here was a re-awakening of a country that once relied on God and God alone. But in it?s rise to the top somehow lost focus on what made us a great nation. I prayed a prayer of thanksgiving that in bringing us to our knees as one body that we would stand together again as a nation under God. That we would lean on him for all understanding and vengeance would surely be his.
Upon my arrival home I could see clearly the fear in my wife and son. We embraced as a family and walked to the house with my son clinging tightly on my shoulder. He is only five years old but somehow understood something very bad had happened to his world. And my anger grew as I saw the innocence fade from his face as I tried to answer his questions.
He knew about the bad guys and he knew about the planes. He knew that the buildings came down and that there were children suddenly without parents. He rattled off something about a "find a parent day" where the kids who had lost their mom or dad could find new parents that had no kids. And I suddenly couldn?t handle the emotions of the day.
As I sat and wept, my boy got into his bunny rabbit sleeping bag. I asked him what he was doing and he said he had to go to sleep. I said, it's very early, why are you doing that? And he said just this, ?I have to have a dream to tell me how to save the world?.
And there was nothing I could do, nothing I could say but pray.
Collection
Citation
“story6042.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 12, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/6792.