My 9-11 Story

My September 11 story began in June of 2001. We were missionaries to Romania on furlough. We were in New York trying to raise support to return to the field. We had a day off and decided to go to the Statue of Liberty. This was my first time there; the kids too. I remember standing there looking across the skyline of New York City. I had always wanted to go there. I made up my mind right then and there that we would go on our next trip to New York which was coming up in September. Ten year old Gabriel didn't seem as impressed as I was with the skyline. One comment about the world trade center buildings was, "They're not twin towers. One has an antenna on top."

Three months later we found ourselves in New York again. We were busy visiting several churches and spending time with John's family. John asked at one point, "What do you want to do on Tuesday?" I forgot about my determination to go to New York City. I forgot about the Empire State Building and the Twin Towers. It never occurred to me that we would be only an hour away on Wednesday and it would be a very feasible trip on Tuesday. All of that completely slipped my mind. Instead I said something like, "I don't know. I think it would be a good idea to stay at the mission apartment and do some homeschooling with the kids." And that is exactly what I did. John had heard about a preachers' meeting going on that day and so he left early to do that. I was there in that church apartment, prophet chamber as it was called. We pulled out our books and I was so glad to get some much needed school work done.

It was a nice place to stay. There were two bedrooms and a bathroom. There was an old TV on the dresser. The kind where you pull the knob out to turn it on and it takes a while to warm up. We didn't bother turning the TV on. We had school. Did I have a cell phone? I don't remember. I would say probably not because John had not contacted me. Neither did anyone else. We were pretty much in our own little world that day. As far as we knew, it was just your run of the mill average day. How very wrong we were.

It was about 2:30 PM when a lady from the church came over. She was also a homeschool mom and we had made plans to fly kites together that afternoon. She came into the church kitchen with a distraught look on her face, "Have you heard what happened?" she asked me. By her facial expression, I knew it was serious. I had no idea that it was an event that would forever change all of our lives. As she shared the impossible news, I wondered what had happened to our country. How was it that our security was so lax that so many planes could be hijacked?

We went to the room with the old fashioned black and white TV and pulled the knob to turn it on. It wasn't hard to find a channel broadcasting the news. By that point, both buildings were long gone and they showed over and over how they had collapsed. It was then that I saw the antenna on the one tower - and I remembered! I remembered Gabriel's words on how they weren't really twins. I remembered my desire to visit the city. Oh how I had wanted to go! And that was our free day, the day that it would have been possible to go - and I had forgotten.

Why did God spare us, and not others, from possible death and certain calamity? (Just being in the city that day must have been a nightmare.) I am sure I will never know as long as I live on this earth. For His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. We are blessed by His mercy and His grace. Our hearts are grieved by the tragedy that touched all of our lives. I hope that as Americans we will never forget what has happened; that we will continue to be a strong nation that will fight for our freedom. And I pray that as Christians, we will love God with all of our heart, soul and strength and share His mercy and grace with all. May God bless America!

One Thousand Gifts - Hurricane Edition

What a week we've had! An earthquake on Tuesday and a hurricane on Saturday. I have had enough natural disasters for a while. At least it has caused us to seriously look at our emergency supplies. The power has been out at our house since Saturday afternoon. Water has been off and on, sometimes looking a bit brown. Yesterday morning I was talking to John and I said, "Why don't you drive us to Knoxville and my mom and dad can come pick us up there." I was only half serious. A wish. Time to spend with my parents. I could still bring homeschool books and Holly and I could continue school in airconditioned comfort. Not to mention showers and warm meals. We both kind of dismissed the idea. John went to bed (he's working midnights) and Holly and I went to church.

That afternoon, Holly and I had tuna salad for lunch - leftovers from the night before. The house was comfortable for a while but as the day went on we became hot and sticky. There wasn't much of a breeze and the neighbors generator was making a lot of noise! Holly and I went to church early for orchestra practice. John arrived just before 6 for the service. He told me then that he had made some calls and we would leave on Monday morning for Tennessee! Packing was easy since there wasn't any way to do laundry. We just threw some things in our suitcase and were on the road!

So from the interstate, here are some of the things I am thankful for this week:

• Safety in the storm


• Peace to lie down knowing we are in God's Hand


• A strong roof over our heads


• A huge oak tree with strong roots and limbs - only small branches and large acorns fell on our roof - for hours


• paper plates


• paper cups


• disposable cutlery


• lots of ice in the freezer in preparation for the storm


• cold milk


• a gas grill


• food on the table


• nice juicy warm hamburgers


• a full pantry


• church after a rough week


• a neighbor with power offering showers


• and storage for our frozen/refrigerated itmes


• a cool breeze in the morning


• the portabiltiy of homeschooling


• a loving, generous husband


• loving, generous parents

What are you thankful for this week?

Waiting to Hear

Gabriel called today. Oh how good to hear his voice. Even if it was for a question about laundry. Now I am waiting to hear from Hannah. This is a new phase in my life - anxiously waiting for that hopefully daily phone call. How did my mom survive so many decades ago when all we had was a payphone in the hallway shared by 45 other girls? A weekly call would never be enough.

Many people have asked how I am doing. Am I surviving since letting two fly the nest? So far, yes. I am not sure what the answer will be when we walk into our home and notice the emptiness there. And they are doing well and having fun. I am excited for them. But how will I handle it when they have a rough day and I am not there to give them a hug?

John, Holly and I will begin our trek back to Virginia tomorrow. Our plan is to stop half way and spend the night. It's been a long summer and a lengthy trip and we just do not feel up to making a 12 hour trip in one day this time. Looking forward to being home.