Teachable Moments We Wish Would Not Have Happened
On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, I was putting a load of laundry in the washer, anticipating having a lovely evening with my husband. It was our eighth wedding anniversary, and we were planning on going out for dinner. Then, my phone rang.
My ex-husband was on the line, asking me if I had my t.v. on. I was homeschooling, so of course the t.v. was off. He said, "Well, you'd better turn it on-someone just flew two airplanes into the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon has also been crashed into!"
In my mind, disbelief had already crept in even before I turned on my television, because those sorts of things just don't happen here. I figured maybe he was having An Episode, but I'd humor him, anyway. I turned on the t.v., and yes, that sort of thing had just happened. Here. My brain didn't believe my eyes. But, there it was.
My ex was still on the line. I said, "Oh, f---!" Which I know is not the sort of thing nice little homeschooling parents from the Midwest say, but I am honest and I'll tell you what I said, in an honest way. Actually, I repeated it about six or seven times. I asked him, "Do they know who did this yet?" and he replied, "No, I don't think so. But it looks like terrorism." I replied, "Well, thanks for calling me. I have to tell Jasper." Which was about the entire conversation. I ran to get Jasper, and told him to just look at the t.v. I did not even tell him what had happened. These things are more educational at full visual impact. And I was on the verge of tears, which are useless so I rarely let them out. My first instinct was to phone all of my friends and family and ask them if they were all right. But of course, they were, most of them having never even been to New York. We were all safe and sound, here in the Midwest. It didn't feel that way.
I saw a Saudi woman on the t.v., laughing and dancing because so many in America were dead. I was shocked by how much I hated that woman. It was deep, and resonated in my soul. I honestly wanted her to die. Not to necessarily kill her myself, but just for her to voluntarily keel over and die. I can't help but feel that my reaction was wrong, but it seemed so right. I began to pray for both of us, and for all of us. I took a lot of deep breaths.
Latest Articles