Where were you?

There are very few times in a person's life when they can go immediately to one moment in time. Perhaps a birth of a child or the moment when you heard someone was ill or died. September 11 is like that for me. Seven years ago, Muffin was 9 months old and I was teaching afternoons only. Our mornings were generally slow moving until 11:30 when Andy's mom would arrive to pick up Muffin for the afternoon and I would head to work. I remember the TV was on in our living room as I made breakfast, which was unusual. Did you, like me, hear something in the background that caught your ear or eye and, stopping what you were doing, get drawn to the TV to watch this horrific morning play out in a way unimaginable up until that point? Did anyone else have the conflicting emotions of a growing urge to gather your family together and not leave the safety of your home mixed with a sense of urgency to get in your car and drive to New York and help someone, anyone?

There was definitely a battle in my spirit about whether I should leave Muffin to go to work or whether I should place my responsibility to my child above that to my school. Ultimately, I did decide to go to work and I think the Lord provided a peace about that since I knew that Sue would have done anything for Muffin. When I got to school, all the teachers knew what was going on but were instructed to not discuss it with the kids. But somehow, by the end of the day, they were talking about something really bad that had happened and a big fire. I was concerned about my little second graders getting on the bus with some 6th grader (who would certainly have more information than my kids) who would scare MY kids beyond comprehension. I sat down my bussers and told them that something very bad had happened in New York, a place far away from Bremen, Ohio. I tried to reassure them that they were safe and to ask their parents about it when they got home.

It always comes back to me on this date how I believed that the End Times may have arrived. Most days it seems that the Lord will tarry well beyond my lifetime but not September 11, 2001. For me, this is as important a lesson as any.

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come." Mark 13:32