Good morning…
This spring, amid the Corona mayhem, we received a large manilla envelop addressed to me. I looked inside to find a stack of letters wearing my handwriting, letters I had written from our new home in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania reaching out to my long long time friend in Mableton, Georgia. The first letter in the pile was dated 9/17/01.
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Dear Laura…
Tomorrow we will both wake up and recognize right away that one week has passed since the Twin Towers and the Pentagon were attacked and destroyed. Boy. What a week. I haven’t journaled much. I haven’t written any letters. I feel like I’ve just been soaking it all in and talking it all out, face to face, one-on-one or in small groups. The human contact – the tangible human contact – seems to be what my soul yearns for as I try to sort out my reaction to this horrible ordeal. My days are busy with the four kids (2 months, 2, 4, and 6) and I don’t want to expose them to the repeated images of destruction and terror and evil, so it’s not until they are all asleep that I turn on the TV to hear heart-wrenching stories and a mind-boggling web of evil from which this tragedy was born. I seem in need of an injection of TV coverage every day – just to keep myself in touch with the pain that is so real to so many in our country every waking moment.
I sit here in a beautiful, comfortable, “safe” little town so far removed from the anguish so many are living out. I don’t want to become complacent and lulled into forgetting what an incredibly life-changing week this has been for our nation. So, each night I watch a while. I soak it in. I mull it over in my mind and I have food for conversation the following day. This tragedy has connected me more deeply to those in our new town. I realize that I didn’t talk at all to my neighbor, Betsy, yesterday for the first day in a long time. As I thought to myself, “After the kids go to bed, I want to call Betsy just to say, “I’ve missed talking to you,” the phone rang and it was Betsy, just checking in, just sharing the small news that Colin, her husband, needs to leave for work early in the AM so I shouldn’t look for her porch light to be on to indicate her ability to walk. Small news, but helpful, thoughtful, connecting. Betsy and I both seem to enjoy contact daily and so do our kids – so that’s been fun. Another woman, Janet, and her daughter, Kate, have become regularly a part of our daily lives. Megan with her kids the same age as our oldest three and Elaine, a gentle woman who listens so well that time evaporates when we talk, has a son, Hunter, that our oldest Kyler really enjoys. I feel friendship deepening even in these first two months since our move. The crisis has intensified our need for one another.
The tragedy has also forced Steve into a more needed position as chaplain. The attendance at his chapel services skyrocketed this week as everyone in the community has been searching for words that provide solace, encouragement, insight. He preached an excellent sermon about the phrase “DO NOT FEAR” being God’s most common message in Scripture and the Bible being summed up in two words: “God wins!” Great message. I admire him so.
More another time,
Sue
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Today on September 11th, 2020, I reflect back on these old raw words. What common patterns do I notice from back then and right now?
- At times we all face incredibly difficult weeks.
- When tragedy strikes, taking it all in and talking it all out is essential.
- Human contact – tangible contact – seems to be what our souls yearn for.
- An injection of TV coverage every day keeps us in touch with the pain of so many in our hurting world.
- We don’t want to become complacent and be lulled into forgetting.
- Naming the names of our loved ones matters.
- Turning on our porch light to say “I’m available,” walking through life with friends, and sharing small news is helpful, thoughtful, connecting.
- Crisis intensifies our need for one another.
- Our need for a faith community skyrockets as everyone searches for words that provide solace, encouragement, insight.
- The phrase “DO NOT FEAR” is God’s most common message in Scripture.
- The Bible is summed up in two words: “God wins!”
“Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation]” (Isaiah 41:10, AMP).
…Sue…
