story6826.xml

story6826.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

I had walked my little girl to my next door neighbor's house for school. My neighbor asked me, "Clay, have you been wacthing t.v. this mornning?" I said, "No." She said in all seriousness, "What have you been doing, Sleeping?" I said, "I have been up for about an hour and a half." She said, "they're bombing the World Trade Center. Go watch the t.v." So I went into her living room and saw the live news report, and was taken aback at the chaos, terror, and mayhem that I was watching. I asked my neighbor, with just an ounce of humorist hope, was this for real? She said, "Yes, it is." I stood there mortified and in a state of disbelief.

I lefted her house, and at full speed, ran to my car in which my wife was waiting. I told her and she was shocked. I turned on the radio to hear what was happening. If this can be believed, on the F.M. dail it was entertainment as ususal. The stations were playing music and doing their morning commuter jokes. Not a word of the events occuring in the east of the United States! This was a about 2-3 hours after the planes had hit. I found the Public Radio station and they were broadcasting the events.

We rode in silence to my wife's rideshare's house. After I dropped her off I made my way down the highway to my school. Without her feminne presence in the car, I allowed the mantel of my manhood to fall, and the tough interior of the former U.S. Marine to stand at ease, and allowed the tears to fall. I cried for all the lives lost. I cried for the uncertainty of security in which my country grapsed its freedom from. I cried because I could not get my hands to the necks of those whose caused such insecurity to be felt in the hearts of the Amercan people. I then prayed for my country, the President, the Country Leaders, for the families and all those that would greive such a great loss.

In class all I could think of was the safety of my family. I left class and called my son and told him to lock the doors and not to answer the door for anybody but a family member. I left school and gathered the other kids from their babysitter and daycare. I then went home and awaited my wife's arrival so that we could all be safe in our home under the protection of Jesus Christ.

We sat in our living room watching the repeats of the planes going into the buildings, and listening to the reports. Sitting there in our home, and for the next several days, was like being in the midst of a 24 hours funeral. The pall would not lift. Even the emotions of death of a love one visited us: Anger, guilt, unbelief, denial, grief. They returned once again yesterday, 9/11/2002 watching the programs on t.v.

However, this time we know that America will come through this as a better nation. More caring towards others. More unified. Humble. Stronger. And above all, victorious.