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"At least the crazy idiots are dead now"Sep 12 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Lots of Hugs and reassurance at a time like this. Prayer couldn't hurt either! God Bless Us all during this madness!
(I will address the topic but need to ramble a bit first!) So we woke up in a changed world today. I sit in my office staring at a copy of the Boston Herald which screams at me "WAR", and fires images of the unspeakable tragedy which struck the US yesterday. Here in my office we await word of a friend and former colleague who parks every morning in the World Trade Center parking garage. I learned this morning that one of the passengers out of Boston was from my hometown, and that a friend of mine drove over the Potomac yesterday and watched the Pentagon burn. I drove my family by the Pentagon just two weeks ago, mentally noting that there didn't seem to be a whole lot to defend it, and noting that the National Airport is literally blocks away from this Nerve Center. I stood in a Radio Shack in downtown Boston yesterday glued to a TV set along with about thirty fellow Americans, many of them crying, as we collectively gasped as the footage of the plane hitting the WTC was shown again and again. This is a movie, right? It had to be. I get sappy about patriotism sometimes. Some of you that have read my ramblings might know that my late father-in-law was on a ship in the Pacific that was struck by not one but two kamikaze planes. He survived but was forever haunted by the images of his buddies that were killed I'm sure. The ship was split into three pieces and he helped haul out the dead. My grandfather served in the US Navy for his entire adult life (he actually enlisted at 16, lying about his age!) When my grandmother died she left me his ship's journal, bound in leather and documenting his many adventures at sea serving his country. I treasure this, and recently shared it with a WWII veteran that lives across the street from me. The night before I left my insulated college town, East Lansing, Michigan, for Boston and a new life here I attended a USC/Michigan State football game. During the halftime show Lee Greenwood sang that great song about being proud to be an American ("where at least I know I'm free") and they unfurled a huge American flag on the field. I had goosebumps then and I have goosebumps now thinking about it. I am very proud to be an American. I'm proud when I can take my kids out fishing in a fairly clean lake, I'm proud that we have clean water to drink and I was proud when I took my kids to see the monuments in Washington last month. The images of people running from those same monuments yesterday made me very sad. Last night, after hugging and kissing my kids a few extra times, I had to answer questions they had. The school principal sent home a letter saying the kids had no knowledge of what had occurred but the neighborhood kids were soon all buzzing about it. I certainly don't have the best way to tell your kids about the events but here's what I did. Everyone's situation is different of course. Basically I stressed the fact that the "scary idiots" who flew the planes in to the buildings are now dead. I had my son watch President Bush last night, and regardless of how you feel about the man, I can tell you that his speech helped to reassure my son. My son was concerned that my building was evacuated. (We are right next to the John Hancock in Boston). I told him that was just a precaution, that they had done this in cities across the country simply to "keep everyone safe", and that he shouldn't worry. (Let's leave all the worrying and stress to the adults - kids have enough on their minds!) I also told him that those "crazy idiots" who took control of the plane aimed for the biggest buildings in the biggest cities for a reason. We are lucky to live in a fairly rural area so I assured him that our little hick town would most likely never become a target for such 'crazy idiots.' I know you're situation may be quite different but that's what I told my kids. My son was concerned that I might have to fly out of Logan on business in November. (He's concerned? What about me ? ) I told him that because of what happened, which was a horrible day in American History and which is now OVER, that people at airports will become smarter and hopefully more secure because of that. I said they would probably lock cockpits and make sure bad idiots couldn't get weapons on planes any more. Let's hope to God that this is the case. My kids, both of them, asked about people dying in the World Trade Center. While we certainly acknowledged that people had died (my son had heard about the NYC firefighters), and we had a big family hug while we discussed this, we also stressed that many good people had helped to save many lives yesterday, and continue to do so today. Prayer and hugs. What more can you do? I also told them that my friend John had donated blood to help and that I was considering doing the same thing. My son tends to think way too much about things, and I was concerned that he might have a fitful nights' sleep, but luckily both my son (he's 9) and my 6 year old daughter slept fine and went off to school this morning without a problem. Hope it stays that way. Thanks for reading and stay safe wherever you are. I pray that you're friends and loved ones were not affected by what went on yesterday. I know that this is weighing heavy on my son's mind. When we put him to bed last night I noticed a postcard of the Pentagon, purchased on our recent family vacation, was sitting on the table beside his bed. Warm Regards from Boston, where I started my work day watching an F-16 fighter plane fly overhead. It's a different world. Kevlog  |
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