story4779.xml

story4779.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

On September 11, 2001, I began the day, like any other day. I work nights, so I sleep through most days. I remember singing "This is the Day the Lord Has Made" in the shower. After that, while all hell was breaking loose in America, I was walking my daughter to school. I went straight to sleep after that, unaware of our national crisis.
I was awakened by my husband, right at 3pm, as he returned from work. He began telling me about all that had happened. I was numb, and I watched the news for a while. They were talking sporatically about the shock and reactions, but not explaining the videos. All I knew was that one tower was hit, and I thought I was seeing the second being hit live, and nothing was said about it. I finally realized that it had all happened that morning.
I knew that the stock markets and everything would be affected, so I began to worry about if were we about to go into financial chaos. My daughter would be getting off the school bus, had she been told? Would life ever be normal again? Could what they said about this all being deliberate be true? How could someone be that evil? Why was the media telling everyone where our president was at all times? How could they be so irresponsible?
After a short while, I had to go to Walmart. I was totally amazed that, while they usually have those dinky commercials running on their televisions in the store, every television was on CNN and it was over the store sound system. While I was there, another building had collasped. While I was checking out, people were talking about being charged enormous prices for gas near Little Rock, something like $8 a gallon. I had noticed alot of people getting gas before I'd gotten to Walmart. So I called my husband and told him to fill up the truck, and I did the same with the car on my way home.
As time went on, days, weeks, months... I watched the magazines and news shows about all the events related to this disaster. I ached in my heart for all the lost souls and people searching and searching for survivors. I wondered how it could rain in New York so soon after the collapse, how did that affect the searching? I just thought about it all so much.
I found a couple of magazines dedicated to the tragedy. I found a story in one that just broke my heart. I might have known one of the children that was on one of the planes... We had lived in several places before my husband retired from the Navy, including San Diego. I had worked at a military child development center. One child's name was China, and I had cared for a little girl named China in the San Diego area. The age of the girl, on the plane added up to how long it had been since we'd been there and the tragedy. I'm not absolutely certain it's her, but it just breaks my heart that anyone, after seeing young children on board an airplane, could still be willing to take over and cause so much death... how callous!
I still, today feel a void in my heart concerning these events. This morning, at the nursing home, where I work nights, we tried to dress everyone in red white and blue, and tonight, I'll be wearing those colors as well, when I come in. I saw flags up all down the streets in my town this morning. I've been praying alot today for God's blessings and protection for our nation. I refuse to live in fear! We must live as normal as possible and keep our heads up, or the evil will win.
What should have happened didn't. Our flags were put up everywhere, and as the year went on, less and less cars could be found with flags. Many people started attending Church again, but more and more don't go now. We need to be proud and stand up for our country. We need more than that for God's hand of protection for America. I just pray that God won't forsake us, as we have forsaken Him. We need God to bless America again! I'll be praying for just that.
Lora Bailey
September 11, 2002