I had promised a book review today, but in light of the 7th anniversary of the tragedy of 9/11, I thought I might wait until tomorrow.
I’ve read and heard many comments today about people remembering exactly where they were and what they were doing when the Twin Towers were struck. I remember that day very vividly. I was working in a private Christian school and church in Charleston, SC and had just come into the offices from running home after forgetting something.
When I walked into the building, there was the smell of burning popcorn permeating the air and I commented to a co-worker walking by, “There’s a fire.”
He looked at me with this grave face and said, “Yeah, they got the World Trade Center.”
“Huh?” was my reaction. “What are you talking about.” Obviously, something momentous had happened during my time in the car. Strange that I was not listening to talk radio to inform me of the event.
Without another word, my co-worker friend took me into a private office with a TV and turned it on. I was assaulted with the sight of the first of the Twin Towers engulfed in fire and smoke. The news of the plane being flown into the building slowly sunk in, and I remember the shock and anger beginning to well up in me.
I don’t remember why, but for some reason my wife was in the building that day, and soon she was standing in the office with us, watching events unfold. I know we were all praying for the people who were there, for the grace of God to fall and for lives to be spared. It surely couldn’t get any worse.
Then we witnessed the live video of a second plane coming in and striking the other tower.
“Oh God, please make it stop.”
But it didn’t stop. Soon, word came of another plane hitting the Pentagon. Then, there was word of another plane that was off course and non-responsive. Eventually, as we all know, the passengers on that plane took the initiative to bring their hijackers down, and thus sacrifice their own lives to save others by driving the plane into the ground.
We also watched in disbelief, as the towers collapsed upon themselves.
Over the next days and weeks, we began to pick up the pieces and put the clues together and figure out the who and whys. Many of us in our country turned to our church fellowships for comfort, and prayed like we had never prayed before. Folk who hadn’t been to church for years—or maybe ever—flocked to local churches in search of comfort and answers.
Everyone had a different way of dealing with that day. Some people write songs or poetry, others create works of art. I, for one, am the kind of person who turns it all inward and broods about things. It may not be the most healthy way of working through sorrow and pain, but it’s my way. I sit and think a lot, and often read books or surf the internet for words and images that resonate with my heart and mind. This is my way of finding an expressive outlet.
One of the most vivid reminders of that day for me was issue #36 of The Amazing Spider-Man. To some of you that sounds really weird, but again we all have a different way of dealing with things.
Rather than going on with business as usual, the folks at Marvel decided to remember the horrific events of that day in their own way. Featuring a black cover devoid of art, the issue recounted the day of Spider-Man and other fictitious heroes as events unfolded. (See the picture below for a good shot of how Spider-Man reflected my feelings on that horrific day.) Rather than turning the characters into the saviors of the day, they were reduced to being just as helpless as the rest of us as they watched the senseless tragedy occur.
When all was said and done, the heroes of the day were the ones who risked their lives to save others from the destruction. The scars of that day are still raw for many of us, and we could sit around and debate the merits of things like our response militarily, but today is not a day for those discussions.
Today is a day of remembrance. Today is also a day to recognize that so many out there are still dealing with the events of that day, and will continue to deal for the rest of their lives.
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