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| “Where were you when?” |
by Alan P. Scaglione
Do you remember where you were?
The Day Our Life stood Still…
Do you remember that morning? Tuesday, September 11th, 2001…
I was on my way to pick up my best friend Ellen Bullard to take her to her chemo treatment. She was 42 years old and fighting what would later become a losing battle with stomach cancer, but I was her “Hoak”(driver in Driving Miss Daisy), and I took her to all of her chemo treatments. She was the sister I never had, and my wife was so wonderful to let me take the time off from work to be with Ellen—to make some “lifetime memories”.
Never thought sharing 9/11 would be one of those.
I had received a call from my children’s mom telling me she heard something hit the World Trade Center.
I picked up Ellen and got her to her chemo appointment before 9am.
The whole office was standing in the waiting room, gathered around the TV; just a bunch of cancer victims, their caregivers and the nurses.
We saw the second plane go into the south tower together—everyone gasped! We knew…Not an accident now! We were being attacked!
Then the nurses took the cancer patients back to start their treatments. How odd but…nothing they could do about it, so let’s fight cancer!
After the treatment, I took Ellen home. We drove speechless. What was happening to our country? What was happening to our lives?
How could we protect ourselves? Our families?
When I got to her house, I settled her in and offered to stay.
She told me, “Bud, if today is the day we all die…I want you with your children. Go be with them…calm them down, make sure they’re safe!”
I have to admit, I felt the same way. Just wanted to make sure my kids were safe.
They were; we were; but, we were never the same…again!
Ellen died in April of the next year, but she told me at our last visit, “Bud, we shared 9/11 together—don’t ever forget that!” I never have.
What do you remember?
I still cry when I see the plane go into the second tower. I still cry when I hear “Let’s roll!” I still cry when I see the children left behind.
It’s not 10 years ago for me…lest we ever forget…so many sacrifices made that day… and since that day, for us to stand free today!
What can’t you forget?
They never reshow it in footage, but I remember watching it live and seeing…before I understood what I saw, people jumping to their death!
There’s a passage in the Old Testament that talks about Stones of Remembrance. The Israelites gathered stones from the river Jordan where God had dried up the river so they could walk over on dry land. They asked Joshua “What mean ye these stones?” – why are we gathering stones from the river? Joshua replied, “when your children ask you why the stones? You will remind them that the Lord your God was mighty on that day and delivered His people from the enemy…lest we ever forget… they are a memorial forever that our God delivered us and won the War!” Joshua 4:4-24.
So…when you see the children of 9/11, when you see the pictures, when you see the new freedom memorial that is now in place at the world trade towers; let them be stones of remembrance…Our God saved our nation that day; nine years later, with bin laden’s death…He won the war!
Other generations have their moments:
Hiroshima; End of WW2; The day JFK was assassinated; when MLK was killed; end of Viet Nam war; the day the Challenger exploded;
But…never in our lifetime did War come to our soil…until 9/11!
Our Stones of Remembrance!
May we never forget…God Bless America!
Until next time,
I’m Just Sayin’…
Brother “A”
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